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Work-Life Balance is a Futile Aim. Here’s a Better Idea
No-one really cares about having a perfectly balanced life
My new client arrives a few minutes late, looking like she’s been through a storm. (It’s sunny outside).
She flings her jacket aside, sinks into the couch, and rummages through her bag for her phone. “Mind if I leave this on while we talk,” she says — she’s expecting an urgent call.
“I just need better work-life balance,” she sighs, as if it’s the secret formula that will free her from chaos.
It’s a common request. Although it’s now widely accepted that work-life balance is a dated concept, people who sign up for coaching frequently cite it as their number one goal.
That’s because for decades “work-life balance” was sold to us as a holy grail we should all be walking — or sprinting — towards. A neat, even division of time between work, sleep and everything else.
The idea was that if you could just get the balance right, you’d finally be able to breathe. And hold onto your sanity.
But life has never been — and never will be — perfectly formed. It’s messy, fluid and full of twists, from minor stressors all the way through to bone-rattling shocks.
