Work-life balance is a topic that keeps coming up in the professional world. The term is often thought to mean that we should give the same amount time to our personal life as we give to our professional life.
The misconception probably arises because of the word ‘balance’. In reality, we should probably call it ‘work-life harmony’ instead, because that’s what work-life balance is all about: managing career and other aspects of life in a way that energizes and works for an individual. Thus, work-life balance varies from person to person. What looks like balance for one person may be complete chaos for another.
Basically, what I am trying to say is that we cannot allocate 50% of our time and energy for work and 50% of our time and energy for everything else. We have to decide our priorities as per the events going on in our life. On some days, like when a deadline has to be met, we will end up giving more time and energy to work, and that’s okay. On other days, like when a loved one is sick, we will work lesser hours and spend more time and energy taking care of our loved instead, and that’s okay too.
This is what work-life balance means to me: having the freedom to prioritize either work or life, without being made to feel guilty or pay a price for the choice we make. In other news, work-life balance is by and large elusive for most Indian employees. This is because their employers simply don’t understand that while work is an important part of life, there’s more to life than just work. And what with everyone having a smartphone these days, it’s harder to escape work during non-working hours. If only more employers understood that work-life balance is fluid and dynamic in nature. In order to establish it, it must change in accordance with the events in your personal and professional life.
What does work-life balance mean to you? Share your views in the comments below.Â
Okay, finally a sane opinion on work-life balance! How can it be 50% work and 50% life???
I agree with your take on work-life balance. And yes, most Indian employers don’t have the faintest idea of what it means, which is one of the reasons I am now starting my own business.