The ever-elusive “work-life balance” has always been on people’s minds, but it has become a primary focus ever since the COVID-19 pandemic.
And while the pandemic emphasized the importance of finding that balance, and maintaining mental wellness as a whole, it also created many challenges to creating that balance. With many more people working from their home instead of an outside office or other facility, the lines between “work” and “life” certainly blurred.
Now that the worst of the pandemic is in the rear view mirror, many people are hoping to once again work on that balance. But, one bestselling author and career expert told Fox Business during an appearance on Monday that “there is no such thing as work-life balance.”
Ken Coleman, who works for Ramsey Solutions and is a radio host who’s syndicated nationally, said:
“The amount of time we spend at work does not allow for true balance.”
Because of this, he suggested:
“Instead of focusing on work-life balance, we need to focus on our work and life priorities. … Once we understand and commit to our priorities, we can then focus on a healthy rhythm between work and life.”
Indeed, work is a major part of people’s lives, and it’s very hard to separate it from “non-work” aspects of life. This is especially true in the digital age, when people have constant access to not only communication tools but also other tools that they can use to actually accomplish work tasks outside of the office.
That’s why Coleman, who’s an experienced career coach, said:
“The way to establish healthy rhythms is to understand the boundaries and seasons. Boundaries are established when we determine what we want to say ‘yes’ to, so it’s easier to say ‘no.’ You truly can’t say no to healthy responsibilities at work. Do what you have to do so that later, you can do what you want to do.”
He also emphasized the importance of understanding what the different seasons of work are. Sometimes, we need to “pay our dues and put in more time and wait longer.”
But, it’s not all doom and gloom, Coleman said. He explained:
“You can have everything you want – just not all at once. … Putting in healthy boundaries will allow you to establish good rhythms between work and life. … Understanding there are seasons helps you to realize you weren’t stuck – you were just in a season. … It will pass.”
It may not sound encouraging to some people, but it does show that you can achieve what you want to out of work and out of life if you just put your mind to it and set the boundaries that are necessary.
This actually applies to a lot of aspects of life, not just work. Healthy boundaries are very necessary to living a life with less stress, anxiety and depression – three things that have increased quite substantially in people ever since the pandemic began.
