The Work-Life Balance Myth

G’day Team.

In the big wide world of Corporate Health and Wellness (yep, that’s what they call it) there’s a buzz term that’s been doing the rounds for a few years now; Work-Life Balance. The term basically refers to the relationship between the amount of time and energy we spend working and not working, and the impact that relationship has on our lives. Some organisations and experts have even quantified what’s healthy and unhealthy when it comes to balancing the work-life thing. Up to forty hours of work per week; healthy. Forty to fifty; heading towards unhealthy. More than fifty; danger, danger!!

X doesn’t always equal Y

Now, you know that I hate arbitrary figures spewed out by experts don’t you. No need for a question mark on that. Rhetorical question. The assertion that ‘X’ hours of work per week will create a universal ‘Y’ response in all people across the spectrum of occupations and situations is completely ridiculous and misleading. Other than time worked, there are a wide range of variables which impact on the type of effect (positive or negative) that a career will have on an individual.

Retirement

Did you know that some people’s health (emotional, mental and physical) actually starts to deteriorate when they stop working? Retirement ain’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be. For some people, work actually prolongs their life and enhances their overall health because for them work equals mental, emotional and physical stimulation. It also means they’re needed, valued and productive. And no, I’m not suggesting that we work indefinitely. What I am saying is that hanging up the work boots doesn’t necessarily equate to nirvana. For some yes, for others no.

All hours ain’t equal

I seriously doubt that fifty hours of working with animals at the zoo (for an animal lover) would be comparable to fifty hours of working in an emergency ward of a busy hospital for a highly-stressed, under-slept intern. If I’m working for twenty hours a week in a job that I absolutely hate, which causes me great stress and anxiety and gives me zero job satisfaction, then surely that’s twenty hours too many? Or conversely, what if I’m working seventy hours a week in a career which gives me great joy, satisfaction, fulfillment and pleasure? It’s not hard to figure out which of those two jobs would have more of a negative impact on my relationships, my mental state, my emotional health, my physical health and my life in general.

Work isn’t always work.

Or what if I don’t actually have a ‘job’… but a passion that I get paid for? I wonder if the Nun’s union ever chatted with Mother Teresa about her work-life balance. Surely she couldn’t have been happy, fulfilled or satisfied working all those hours in such poor conditions? Perhaps what she really needed was some down-time at Club Med. A little windsurfing maybe. A spot of snorkeling. I wonder if the work-life balance guidelines ever reached the convent.

And what about the professional artist (like my father) who gets great joy and satisfaction from expressing himself creatively? Should he stop painting at five o’clock because painting until seven will make him unbalanced? “Sorry Ron, that’s too much painting for you this week, you need a day off to re-balance. I know you feel happy and content, but you’re not; you’re over-worked. Don’t confuse your feelings with our work-life balance research. Statistics don’t lie Ron.”

Such bullshit.

Take a holiday Craig

People have been telling me for years that I work too much. But for me that’s almost impossible because I don’t actually have a job; I just get paid to do what I love; what I’m passionate about. I never feel like I’m going to work. Ever. I research, I learn, I teach, I write, I do media stuff and I speak all over Australia (and the world) and I happen to get paid for it. Such a tough gig. Poor over-worked me. Take a look at my reality: I rarely get stressed (maybe twice a year), I am physically fit and strong, I am emotionally and mentally healthy (although some would debate that), I have great personal and professional relationships, I have heaps of fun, I am stimulated every day, I am happy and fulfilled, I get to hang out with positive people like my boy Johnny (and the rest of my team) every day and I’m genuinely excited about my future and what I might create over the next few decades.

Many people would say that I’m working right now. Doesn’t feel like a job to me. Maybe work is a matter of perception. Sitting here at my computer, I feel like I’m expressing myself creatively, stimulating my mind, connecting with my audience and exploring an interesting subject. For me, writing is fun. Writing is a release. It’s certainly not a job. Maybe the key to getting the work-life balance thing right is not (only) about how many hours per week we work but about understanding and controlling how that work impacts on our mental, emotional and physical selves.

Ten hours too much

Of course it’s possible to over-work. And of course it’s possible to have an unhealthy obsession with, investment in, and attitude about our work. Sometimes hours worked is an indicator of an unhealthy work-life balance. Sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes the issue is not how many hours we work per day or week at a particular job, but how those hours impact on our mental and emotional health. If ten hours per week is making you consistently stressed, anxious, depressed and unhappy, then ten hours (of that job) is too many. But find the right career (passion) and fifty hours might not be enough for you.

The last bit

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying today, I’m not for one moment suggesting that working a lot necessarily equates to happiness or fulfilment. Neither am I saying that it necessarily equates to misery, dysfunction or exhaustion. What I am suggesting is that classifying a person as balanced or unbalanced based solely on the number of hours they ‘work’ each week is a stupid practice… and when I’m king of the world, I’ll ban it.

The End

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