What Really is Work-Life Balance?
Different people have different opinions of what work-life balance is. To some it is fixed and regular work hours. To some it is more time outside work. To some it is learning more to grow faster in their career.
Definition of Work-Life Balance
We need to have a common understanding of what we mean by work-life balance. For the context of this website, I would like to define it as:
Work-Life Balance is balancing between achievement at work, and contentment outside work.
This definition does not talk about number of hours spent at work, or outside work. In the world that we live in today, we transact with people across the globe for our day to day work. We necessarily need to work across different time zones. Gone are the days of a desk job from 9 to 5. We need to come to terms with how we can achieve work-life balance in this “flat” and “virtual” world.
Achievement At Work
In one way or the other, achievement at work means recognition for work done and corresponding career growth. To get this we need to:
- Add great value to the organization
- Add great value to the supervisor
- Add great value to the customer
If the customer is happy, the supervisor is happy, and the organization is happy. This provides the best chances for recognition and growth in career.
Contentment Outside Work
To have a sense of balance in life, excellent work should be balanced with fulfilling things outside work. To get this we need to:
- Have and use time with family
- Have and use time for oneself
- Have and use time to do other meaningful and fulfilling things (such as charity)
This is an introduction to Work-Life Balance. We will discuss more detail in future posts.
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