Work Life Balance – A Fine Line

The struggle to find a balance between work pressures and time to ourselves is real.

Both during and after the Covid pandemic, we have been finding it more difficult to find this balance, to create healthy boundaries and to learn to say no.

End 2020, Harvard Business Review (HBR) wanted to understand what it takes to free yourself from these unhealthy patterns and reach a more sustainable, rewarding work-life balance. They conducted almost 200 in-depth interviews with 78 professionals from the London offices of a global law firm and an accounting firm. We spoke with an equal number of men and women, and most of the interviewees were between 30 and 50 years old, with at least one dependent child, and in either middle or senior management roles.

HBR found that about 30% of the men and 50% of women in their sample appeared to consciously resist working long hours, describing a variety of strategies they developed for maintaining a healthier work-life balance.

So what strategies are people using?

Well, what seems to make a difference is a combination of reflexivity — or questioning previous assumptions in order to increase self-awareness — and intentional redefinition of roles.

1. Take a step back. Ask yourself: What is currently causing me stress, unbalance, or dissatisfaction? How are these circumstances affecting how I perform and engage with my job? How are they impacting my personal life? What am I prioritizing? What am I sacrificing? What is getting lost?

2. How do you feel? Once you’ve increased your awareness of where you are now, ask yourself how that situation makes you feel. Do I feel energized, fulfilled, satisfied? Or do I feel angry, resentful, sad?

3. Put things into perspective. By becoming more aware of your state of mind, body and emotions, you can now decide if and how your priorities need to be adjusted. Ask yourself: What am I willing to sacrifice, and for how long? Am I prioritizing work or family? Is it necessary or inevitable? What regrets do I have, and what will I regret if I continue doing what I’m doing?

4. Choose your path forward. First reflect on the parts of your work and life that could be different in order to better align with your priorities. What parts of your job do you want to change? How much time would you like to spend with your family, or on hobbies?

5. Now act. This might mean a “public” change —shifting your colleagues’ expectations, for example taking on a new role that will be less time-demanding or allows for a compressed-week or hybrid work model — or a “private” change, in which you change your work patterns, without necessarily telling your colleagues.

HBR insists that the five steps outlined above are not a one-time activity, but rather a cycle of continuous re-evaluation and improvement throughout our lives.

In summary, we only have one life and although we often feel as if we have to do everything, we also need to listen to ourselves and respect our capacities. Finding a balance by being reflective and redefining our roles will make all the difference to how we feel and live our lives.

© Christine Petersen

Contact