A Sense of Balance

(Short adaptation from my earlier published article on my earlier blog space, republished from medium.com)

 

I have been contemplating about work-life balance for many years during my career and whether there is a really something called work-life balance; or it is some phrase used by different people in different roles they perform in their organization; or at an individual capacity to suit their needs of the moment to vent against whatever has been bothering them in their work or life. Most people who aspire for a certain career in specific industry, have enthusiastically waited to on-board into the working life moving away from the college/university phase. The enthusiasm and momentum each one brings to excel in the work coupled with other aspects like traveling, adapting to a changing lifestyle and of course lot of money brings in a certain work schedule — a flexible work schedule. This has brought in a lot of advantages to the work and organization in terms of increasing productivity, minimal and flexible people management aspects and a creation of aspiring lifestyle based job market.

There is an implicit expression of the underlying imbalance in people’s lives through an explicitly visible symptoms. If so, what has caused it and the symptoms to appear? First let’s try to list down the possible signs that could be symptoms of the imbalance.

 

Some of these might have changed over the years. I have at earlier times referred to the phrase ‘work-life balance’ as ‘work — balances — life’. Because the former phrase seems to indicate two aspects to be balanced — ‘work’ and ‘life’ — as if work is separate from life and life without work is all there is in life and confining ‘work’ to the ‘job work’. But the later phrase is more appropriate because life consists of job work, family, friends, higher education, other ambitions, hobbies, aspirations, voluntary work, etc. and work actually helps in balancing life. It is another component that is vital to the balance of life.

What is this intangible balance then we seemed to have lost, and we see its symptoms in different hues and colours. I think it is about giving equal importance to all aspects required for one’s life. You ignore one, you could be in peril. And it starts with a sense of missing something — the when -depending on aspiration of each person’s importance to keeping one’s life in balance itself. Please note that I meant ‘equal importance’ — not ‘equal time’. It took time for me to understand this difference, because the later (‘equal time’) need not lead one to balance. There were times, when I tried to keep my work schedule within 8 to 5 or 9 to 6, and it did not lead me to where I wanted to be in my work aspiration. It seemed too late, until I realized ‘stretching’ in work time does not necessarily mean ‘over working’ or working more hours. It is through such experience, which I believe most have gone through and is nothing new, that I learnt what balance is. And balance is dynamic too. A cyclist starts to learn balance by turning right and left, falling many times. But can he/she be said to be in balance when he is not moving? Balance is associated with dynamism of the factors associated with one’s movement. It is important to seek balance. This seeking creates an observable set of factors associated with that which we are trying to balance and taking personal actions to move towards a balanced state. I have also observed that clarity in thought is important to correctly analyse and take action, and that the clarity can come by many means. Have a good day with a dose of balance!