Fitting Work into Your Life
/I hate the term work life balance. When I hear that term, I think of two opposing forces, a one or the other, a work vs. life battle. Truth is, work is a PART of life. Just like family, friends, fun, health and all other things are different parts that make up your life.
Don’t get me wrong, I love working. I LOVE having a career - obviously, as evidenced by this blog but I make a conscientious effort to ensure that work is a PART of my life. It enables the life I want to live. There is no bigger example of how I embody this than my move to DC. I picked the place first. The place I wanted to live and build my future and I know the right job will come. Being in the right place is going to make me the best possible person so I can truly thrive in my next role. There is nothing wrong with moving for a job as long as 1 you LOVE that job 2 the move is going to be good for YOUR LIFE.
Work from a balcony in Haifa, israel
Why is it important to think about your life first? Well, your job is not guaranteed. You could get fired 5 minutes after you read this blog (I hope you don’t) and if your whole life and identity is tied up in your job, well you’re going to have a tough time getting up off the mat. That’s why it’s important to draw boundaries between work and the other parts of your life so you can continue to develop as a holistic person. Yes, you’re going to need boundaries because work isn’t everything.
There are two ways to think about boundaries. Same statements but depending on your mental model, one might work better given the language.
Things I will ALWAYS do regardless of work
ex. I will always go to my child’s sporting event (no, I don’t have a child)
Things I will ABSOLUTELY not let work interfere with
ex. I will not miss a dinner at home with my family
You might be thinking those are impossible examples. Uh, no they aren’t. They’re only impossible if you choose to let work cross those boundaries. The thing about boundaries is that you need to enforce them. It might cost you something at work and that might mean you’re working at the wrong place or on the wrong thing because it’s messing up your LIFE. You have to get really clear on what you want your life to look like to fit work into it.
How does this relate to me? My boundary right now is… I will not work somewhere that is not based in the DC area. That’s it, period point blank. There might be an amazing “dream job” in NYC or Philly but is it really my dream job if it doesn’t fit my work boundary? Nope. But if I want to reasses my boundary, I’m free to do that but I must accept the cost.
So take a some time today to figure out what are some of your boundaries. Even if you’re 100% happy, it’s still important to know what you’re willing to do and not do to have the career that’s right for your life.
