Life-Work Balance is mostly Bullshit
When most of the people are talking about work, they are usually thinking about a boring 9 to 5 job where they hate their boss and have to do useless stuff for a specific amount of time. Because those people don’t like doing that job they need a balance between their tedious career and life so they can get away.
A balance between your work and your life may seem healthy, but it’s usually misunderstood. For a lot of the people, a big part of their life is constituted by watching some TV or maybe playing some games for most of the time. Thus you're wasting a lot of hours.
But the work I’m thinking about is not the same described above. What if you truly love your job?
The exciting part of the work-life balance is that when you love your work it becomes your life and you don’t need a balance. All you want to do is work. If you’re doing something with passion, it becomes if not your whole life at least a big part of it.
If I could, I would spend most of my time on Steem, building community, creating what I consider as being valuable content and engaging with other Steemians as often as possible. I love doing it. Thus it doesn’t feel like work at all.
You may think that I’m special or something is wrong with me because I don’t want to leave my work but it’s not like that at all. When I’m doing something that I don’t like, and it feels like work I always feel the urge to escape it, to do something more fun. When I’m on Steem, I don’t even want to go out and eat; this is how much I love being here.
Maybe what makes you want to escape from your workspace is not necessarily the work itself but the people you have to work with. To work only with people that you love may not always be possible but try to find a way so you can do it either if it’s by working from home or starting a family business.
What makes me always want to post as much as I want to get paid are the people I’m interacting with, amazing Steemians that I always love to get back to.
A thing I have noticed is that when your work is exciting enough you will wake up fully refreshes, with a smile on your face and the wish to work.
If your work is not exciting enough, you should try to orientate in some other direction. You don’t have to necessarily quit your job because you may still need to pay your expenses but at least start to build something else besides that so one day you can leave it and do what you love.
Work-life balance is not something that you should aim for but a symptom that what you're doing is not satisfying enough. This may not apply in all cases, but you should think about your life and see if your work is that satisfying or not.
Because I love what I’m doing my work is just a game. Try to find something similar for you.
The pictures are from Pixabay: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3.
I agree with most of what you're saying, mate.
Nicely put :)
I escaped (got fired from or quit) so many jobs in the last two decades... and I always felt like I needed to explain to others why. It just didn't feel right (one way or another). Sometimes it felt like the balance was off, but it was often the work itself and/ or the colleagues that de-energized me.
On Steemit - especially lately - I have discovered a mix of both work that doesn't feel like 'work' and a community of like minded, often very kind people. So much indeed, that it starts to become ( a big part of) my life.
I'm still looking for some kind of balance though, but not necessarily work-life balance. It's more indoor/ outdoor time. Sitting down versus exercising and spending time with offline friends and family besides online social time.
It's all about prioritizing. If you like something enough and it's important for you, you should try and free up time for it. Unfortunately, too many people think they 'have to' work in a job they don't (really) like and don't realize they spend half their waking life on that. It's kind of a shame. We only have one life (I guess)
Ttys!
Amen for that! I think this is the best comment I've seen in a long time. It's just freaking great.
That is what I have in mind, a balance between outdoors and indoors. I think I should be outside more often since I'm spending a lot of the time inside, on Steem, especially the weekends when I'm usually not doing anything else besides Steem. But I enjoy it; I think this is the most important thing. :D
Sadly, people were raised in an environment where fear is being promoted everywhere, so they live in fear. They are afraid to try new things, to quit their job.
Exactly, prioritization is so necessary, and a lot of the people are missing this aspect of their lives, wasting a shitload of time on useless stuff other people told them are essential.
Let's hope everything will be better in the future. ;)
@vincentnijman
So well put! Since I work from home, I have that balance issue too. Some of my work I do enjoy - others I'm at the point of loathing it. Created a business for freedom - and ended up becoming my own jailer. Since it brings in 80%+ of my income - quitting isn't an option. But to your point of indoor/outdoor - for a good part of spring, until late October - I created an office out of my backyard.
I have a hammock , and a few chairs I set up next to it to serve as a desk. It made even the most menial, dreadful tasks enjoyable. Since I'm in NY state and our very long winter has commenced - my outdoor office is closed for the season. But if you're somewhere that you can go outside with your work, even a few hours a day, it makes such a difference.
Of course time with friends/family is essential too. Not enough of my friends and family love the outdoors as much as I do - if it wasn't for the cold months - I swear, I could literally live outside :-P Nothing brings balance like bare feet on grass - or even better, buried in the sand...(daydream begins)
Hear here!
Oh yass. :D
You're mostly describing a situation where one is able to exist beyond mere survival...Capitalism in its 1850 form has to change and stop exploiting and coercing humanities basic needs. There needs to be minimum incomes combined with a new educational ethos premised on self-actualization.
Capitalism has to change for sure, the exploiting of people is a nasty job. But people should also understand that it's their economy not the economy and that they have to provide for themselves.
A job will not get you far nowadays without a side hustle. :D
This is indeed true. Sadly, it's not a reality for everyone though. For single folks without families to support - this is much more easily achieved. Certain sacrifices are required, savings is essential while you navigate the realities of freelancing/starting a business/generating (online)sustainable income...but it all changes once you have a kid and a family.
Many people w/ families and dependents are trapped because they don't have the luxury of escaping their 9-5 (or in the case of my nurse friend, the graveyard shift) - perhaps due to lack of formal education (total BS, but a reality). Depending where they live - rents + food can take up most of their income and saving can be impossible. It's even harder when one person is the 'breadwinner'. Letting the babies starve is not an option :-/
Capitalism is that tricky double edged sword - it's not all bad. Steemit wouldn't be here if not for Capitalism. There are good guys too - of course, they often get lost beneath all the greedy ones. In my younger days, socialism seemed like the answer (before I had to pay taxes lol) - but it also has it flaws.
You put it perfectly "people should understand that it's their economy, not the economy, and that they have to provide for themselves." Self-sufficiency is freedom - create your own reality!
Sadly, you are right. It's harder to escape when you already have roots but not impossible.
Yeah, people should not whine that much about their lives and instead of being dependent on their governments they should do something, anything that may create them an income besides their job, if they have one.
Everything's in their control. :D
Good post, I am a photographer, it passes for my blog and sees my content, I hope that it should be of your taste :D greetings
Thank you. Cheers ;)
Excellent post. This is something I have argued for years. It seems bizarre to me, not to live your life that way.
I can't remember the last time when I last 'worked'.
I can't remember the last time I had a weekend.
It suits me just fine!
Exactly! A life not lived the way you desire is a life not lived at all.
What are you doing besides Steem?
as little as possible, generally! lol
(I only need t spend 40 min's a day for income, so the rest of my time is now my own - it wasn't always like that lol - most of my life has been lots of hours, 7 days a week - always doing my own thing. )
I'm a philosophy teacher and I love every moment of my job... i'm very lucky to be teaching and talking about all the kind of nonsense I like discussing in non-working life... but work-life balance is about allowing people time to be good parents to their kids and this is essential for the stability and development of the economy... the damaged kids with no role models because they're parents are loving their work don't make for great workers in the future... they are disaffected by life, let alone by work...