PSA: Work Life Balance does exist....we just haven't found it yet.

Work life balance…

Does anyone know what that even means? Anyone…?

From CEO to field operations in any organization, private or public, no one can define what balance means let alone give any clear instruction in how to get there. As job descriptions expand to include more and more responsibility even at the entry-level, finding a good work life balance fast is becoming increasingly vital. But perhaps more significant is the need to know how to recognize balance and become conscious of what it means? Is it a feeling… a lifestyle… a quantifiable ideal… does it even exist?

I hope this post helps you come to terms with the 8^th wonder of the world and quite possibly the next breakthrough in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs! But in the rare case the APA sees it less optimistically, I hope it somehow alleviates some unnecessary and ironic anxiety.

From the organizational perspective some places seem to have an idea. Take for example Google with its elaborate campus decked out with anything your heart may or may not think it desires (i.e. state of the art gym facilities, all access gourmet cafeterias, shuttle service in and out, incredible lecture series, micro-efficiencies, customizable work spaces, unlimited free cold beer, …the list goes on and on.) In a nutshell, Google’s concept is to provide the individual with every opportunity to ensure work life balance. It considers this balance so fundamental to its organizational core, it creates a lifestyle of it. Anyone else see a problem with that? To me, what Google is doing is creating a space so impossible to recreate in real life that it tricks the individual to never leave work! This ideal cannot be the answer, its unethical, and the subconscious enslavery of individuals begets the question… is this even legal?

From the medical perspective, the Mayo Clinic gives the better of mostly obscure recommendations. It recognizes improper work life balance occurring when work dominantly invades personal life. The consequences include fatigue, lost time with friends and loved ones, and increased expectations (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2013).  Here at least we can recognize improper work life balance. It is an art, mastered by the individual.

What seems to be the case is that only YOU can discover what YOUR proper work life balance entails. It’s necessarily a feeling and a lifestyle and is quantifiable depending on your productivity. Does it exist? Probably not, optimistically its just a satisfaction in the respect that your satisfied with the trade-off of work and life after work.

So weather your satisfied with hiking a mountain or building that next kickass dataset for work, finding the proper work life balance is completely up to you. But whatever you do… be wary of the Google’s of the world. When something looks too good to be true, it probably is. No offense Google!

Works Cited

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2013, July 13). Work-life Balance: Reclaiming Control. (M. F. Research, Producer) Retrieved September 30, 2013, from Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/work-life-balance/WL00056