Stop Measuring Work-Life Balance in Hours
Here’s what you should focus on instead
We’re a species obsessed with numbers. Why shouldn’t we be?
Numbers are fun. They’re precise. They don’t leave any scope for confusion.
When you read an article telling you X number of points about something, you know exactly what to expect.
When you’re told you’ll be paid $20/hour at your new job, there is nothing left to imagination.
Naturally then, when you’re asked what an ideal work-life balance looks like for you, you’re immediately thinking numbers.
A 4-hour workday would be so much fun, but probably impractical, so maybe limit my work to 8 hours?
Then, there are the well-marketed formulae the internet has made so widely available.
8+8+8 — easy clean way to break your day? 8 hours of hard work, 8 hours of sleep, and 8 hours of leisure.
Clean.
Or, if you’re really ambitious, you’ll be worshipping Tim Ferriss for introducing you to the idea of the 4-hour workweek!
The holy grail, isn’t it?
Yet, in my mind, the moment you start looking at your work-life balance in numbers, you’ve missed the point already.
