I’m Not Achieving Work-Life Balance — Here’s Why I’m OK With It
I have a confession to make: I recently went on vacation…and worked. I know, I know. That’s not what well-balanced people do. It’s also totally hypocritical of me to beg my friends to “unplug” when they go to Thailand while I sneakily work on blog posts in between vacation activities.
But here’s the other part of my confession: I’m OK with it. And no, it’s not because I enjoy being a workaholic (gross) or view working long hours as some sort of weird “status symbol” (ick). I’m someone who is obsessed with the idea of living on a farm with chickens and goats, working less than 20 hours a week, and spending the majority of my time training in MMA, spending time with my husband, and playing with my dog and hypothetical farm animals. But I’m putting those dreams on hold for now — here’s why:
1. It’s an intentional sacrifice.
In my article “3 Mental Health Tips For Freelancers,” I wrote about the importance of getting crystal clear on your business priorities. Is it making money? Working less hours? Or something else? After going through this exercise myself, I realized that what my family needs more than anything else right now is cash flow. In 2020, my husband and I are planning to buy a car, have a belated wedding, move out of San Francisco, AND purchase a house. Holy cow.
So if I want to achieve those goals (which I desperately do), I need to start saving as much money as possible right now — even if it means taking a temporary hit to my lifestyle. That’s why I’m taking on almost all the projects I’m offered, working through weekends, and furtively writing on vacation. My husband is doing the same thing and is about to take on a 20-hour-per-week freelancing gig ON TOP of his full-time job. But we discussed it and made the intentional decision to do this together because we 100% feel it will be worth it down the road.
2. My situation is temporary.
This probably sounds super rat race-y, but I promise it’s not. I find a lot of comfort in knowing that this isn’t my life forever. In fact, my husband and I have a very specific end date in mind, which really helps with the mental challenges of working over time. Also, one of the best parts about freelancing is that I control my situation. So if I ever reach a breaking point and find that I absolutely can’t continue my work, I can stop. It wouldn’t be ideal by any means, but I have the power to not do anything I can’t or don’t want to do.
3. I’m still free.
It’s interesting because — despite the fact that I’m working more hours than I ever worked at a full-time job — I’m still significantly less stressed than I would be doing the same thing at a 9 to 5. And it’s because I still have small freedoms that make the long hours more bearable. For instance, I’m coming down with a bit of a head cold right now, so I decided to sleep in, took an hour to make myself a really decadent breakfast, and didn’t start work until 10:30 am. That probably means I’ll need to work late into the evening today, but I really needed that extra sleep and hearty meal. So I feel good about my decision.
Similarly, I can choose to exercise, run errands, play with my dog, or watch a movie on my own time and schedule. And to me, that feels more freeing than having to sit at a desk for a set number of hours — even if those hours are less than what I’m working now.
What are your thoughts? Is it OK to sacrifice work-life balance once in a while? Share below in the comments!
