Does work-life balance actually exist?
I’ve been meaning to write on this for months, but I wanted to take time to research and reflect before putting my thoughts down.
I spend a lot of my waking hours working or creating. Everyone who knows me knows my work ethic. So much so that people often ask, “Do you rest? When do you rest?” Their concern always made me wonder if I was doing life wrong.
But everytime I would wrestle with it - I would always arrive at:
I love what I do, and most days it doesn’t feel like work. A question I would always end up with is,
“What is the alternative to this?”
The thing is, sometimes work for me is going to a client’s live music concert and documenting it for socials, or going to my client’s spa and shooting content. Other days it’s sitting behind my latop for hours designing, or strategising. Designing is my favourite thing to do; calling it work sometimes makes me feel like I’m cheating. Because to most people, work is hard labour, it is strenuous, and many people don’t enjoy their jobs. So a work/life balance to them is working for 8 hours, and then not working for the other hours.
It’s been years of this conversation for me, and at some point, I decided I would live my life integrating my work. Not quite separating my life from work, but marrying the two in a way that I don’t need “a break” from the other in the way most people do.
So, does work-life balance exist? Yes, but it varies from person to person. We can’t take one scenario and expect it to fit everyone.
We all lead different lives. What I know is, life is going to require different things from you at each season.
You will have to prioritise different things at different times, just like when you were younger, playing with your friends was more important to you than anything else. In high school or varsity, it may have been graduating, while also finding time for friends.
If you’re climbing the career ladder, work will likely take priority.
If you’re building a family, your partner and children will come first.
The truth is, something will always be sacrificed. Spend more time at work, and your family time might suffer. Spend more time with family, and your career growth might slow. I once heard this from successful women with families:
“You can have it all, just not at once.”
And another favourite: “You can do hard things—you just need to choose your hard.”
I decided long time ago that I would not marry or have children, my hard is growing a creative agency and influencing the Namibian creative industry. That is my chosen hard.
For others, their hard might be marriage, parenting, or something else entirely—and that’s okay.
That’s why I believe instead of striving for work-life balance, we should aim for work-life harmony. These are the days of our lives, and how we live them should be up to us.
Yes, I work a lot, but I also have boundaries:
I don’t pick up phone calls unless scheduled (or my housemates because they know not to call me). If you need me, text or email me.
I take off-weekends where I don’t work and focus on filling my cup or change my battery.
I sleep 8 hours daily.
I move my body every day.
I create for work, but also for myself.
I’m mindful of the people I keep around me, the places I go, and what I put into my body.
I add whims to my life. (My biggest fear is leading a “normal” life)
Entrepreneurship is hard, and requires you 24/7. But it’s also beautiful in the sense that I am in charge of my time and how I spend it.
I also understand that:
Work-life balance is a personal concept, and what works for one person may not work for another.
Achieving a sense of satisfaction and contentment in both work and personal life is crucial for overall well-being.
Effectively managing my time and commitments ensures neither work nor personal life dominates.
Both professional and personal well-being, including time for family, friends, hobbies, and self-care is important.
How do you maintain work-life balance in your life?