If you are in the market for a stretchy beanie hat, a baby stroller, or a bicycle helmet, then a one-size-fits-all approach to the product probably will work out just fine. If you are looking for work-life balance, on the other hand, then you need a tailor.
In the late 1880s, lawmakers began limiting the number of hours women and children could work in manufacturing jobs, but it was another century before the concept of work-life balance began to really take off to the point that it’s now fed by a multimillion-dollar cottage industry.
These days, however, people can’t even decide what to call it, much less how to achieve it. So whether you prefer balance, harmony, integration, alignment or some other descriptor, you eventually hit the same roadblock—what works for others probably doesn’t work for you.
The idea of work-life balance not only looks different for a surgeon than it does for a worker managing traffic flow in a road construction zone, but it can look different for each individual surgeon and every person who works on a construction crew.
Never miss a post about leadership, transparency, and trust by signing up for my weekly mailing list, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here.
That’s why I think there’s very little value in most of the models that promise to help you “achieve work-life balance.” The better approach is to regularly evaluate what works for you as you navigate each season of life and your career. Become your own personal tailor and start by asking questions such as these:
- What are my short- and long-term financial goals?
- What is most important for me to accomplish professionally in the next six months, 10 years, and in my lifetime?
- What goals do I have for my spouse, children, grandchildren or other loved ones?
- What goals do I have for giving away money and volunteering my time?
- What do I gain and what must I sacrifice to achieve those financial, professional and personal goals during my current season of life?
- Who are the people I care about most and how does the time I commit to them and to my work impact our relationships?
- What do those people see as reasonable, acceptable, and healthy options for how and where I invest my time?
- What does the concept of “good stewardship” look like given my gifts and talents and the season of life I’m in?
- Who are the friends or other counselors I trust to help me figure this out?
When I was young and single, the answers to most of those questions were different than after I was married and had children or than what they are now that I’m in the later stages of life. And my answers, regardless of my season, aren’t your answers. So if you want work-life balances—or whatever you want to call it—stop shopping for a one-size-fits-all model and start asking and answering the questions that will help you construct something that truly fits you and those you love.
