Working Out Work-Life Balance: A System-Thinking Example
We all go through the circles of life. And no, that is not a reference to the hit song from The Lion King. I am acknowledging the fact that there’s a certain order to our lives that perfectly demonstrates the idea that we are constantly living through infinite instances of cause and effect. A good diet leads to good health. Good sleep leads to good energy. A poor diet leads to poor health, and a poor sleeping schedule causes low energy and low focus. Given this domino-effect example, think of this problem statement: how can we maintain a good work-life balance?
In our heads, it seems simple to maintain healthy habits. However, when actually attempting to do so, there is usually unprecedented interference between us and our goals. This is why we often fail at our New Years’ resolutions, since we tend to think of our lives as linear, or straight paths towards a destination. Rather than say “I am going to go to the gym everyday for the rest of the year,” we should format that goal as “I plan to incorporate the gym everyday in my ongoing, and everchanging schedule”. Rewording our goal statements like that allows us to recognize that life is not a straight line; it’s a system, an interconnected web where events and actions influence one another. We, as humans, are systems ourselves within an infinite number of external systems and we should account for that when trying to fix problems in our lives. According to Donella H. Meadows in Thinking in Systems, “once we see the relationship between structure and behavior, we can begin to understand how systems work, what makes them produce poor results, and how to shift them into better behavior patterns” (Meadows). The best way to find solutions and balance is to acknowledge that real change can only happen by restructuring part or the entirety of a system.
In an effort to solve the ubiquitous problem of finding a healthy work-life balance, the first step should be to mentally (or physically) map out the feedback loop between work events and life events. It will be easier to see through an aerial view which events affect each other negatively and positively and how the system can be reworked in your favor. If you see that your nine-to-five has led you to bring work home, to the point where you no longer have time for yourself, that would be a perfect example of choosing to insert a boundary. Maybe start telling your boss “Nope!” or opting for “I’m sorry, but I can only do this assignment during these established business hours”. With something as simple as that, the system between your work and your life can change dramatically. Now that you have time to yourself when arriving home, you will likely sleep better, and in turn, produce better work, and maybe even get promoted. With such a positive turn around, you might find yourself feeling more celebratory and happy in life, leading to better relationships and self-fulfillment.
