Work-life balance is something we hear about, even talk about, but it would seem we rarely achieve it. A popular belief used to be that we can proportion ourselves out in some measured way across all the demands of our life and work. That hasn’t been successful in my experience. It just doesn’t match reality for most of us.
The more we attempt to create silos or compartmentalize our various roles, the more we face conflicting priorities and ultimately feel like we are failing somewhere or to someone. Quite frankly, it’s not a recipe for success on any level.
We are multi-dimensional beings, and that means that instead of creating unsustainable boundaries, we will be better served by creating an integrated view of who we are and the value we bring to our world.
Victor Hugo expressed it well when he said, “To put everything in balance is good, to put everything in harmony is better.”
Our lives are very much like an aircraft, balancing and leveling itself during flight, continually adjusting its position to stay on course.
When we went through the significant lifestyle and workstyle changes brought on by COVID, all the gaps we had been living with were fully exposed. Every boundary we may have put in place to segregate anything in our lives disappeared overnight, it seemed.
But what initially felt like an earthquake beneath our lives ended up being the way we found ourselves back to better lives. But as time has passed, it’s quite possible that we’ve begun drifting back to old practices that need to be addressed.
When we look at it from that perspective, certain clues will tell us if we need to make adjustments to remain on course.
Here are five checkpoints I invite you to consider:
- The first one is the most important, and if this isn’t in check, there’s no reason to go further until it’s addressed. I learned this lesson from life and success mentor Jim Rohn, and it is simply this: Wherever you are, be there.
- That’s your first check. If you are working and thinking about something else, you won’t be effective. If you are with friends and family but thinking about work, you won’t be fully engaged. We need to focus on the moment in order to course-correct.
- The second one is what I call the calendar check. When I review my plan for the week each Sunday, I check ALL of my current targets against my calendar. Where are my health practices showing up? My learning practice? My relationship practices? If all the parts of my life aren’t there, it’s time for tuning.
- This also applies to our money. That’s another check that helps here. We need to know we’ve got everything working as required for a successful journey.
- A third check-in is less obvious but still important. It is a focus on your core values. For example, growth is a core value for me. I want to ensure that I am growing across multiple disciplines. My growth needs to align with all of my life, not just my profession. Whatever it is we seek, we also need to study.
- The key is to know which of your core values you want to focus on and how you practice them in your life.
- The fourth checkpoint is related to the first one, but its importance merits further reflection: relationships. There are different circles we live within, and each one requires nurturing, growth, and even some pruning. Begin with your inner circle of family and close friends, then move outward until you’ve touched all the circles that hold some degree of influence.
- Are they thriving? Are they draining? Or even just waning. This is more of a check-up than a checkpoint, but it’s a key part of maintaining harmony in our lives.
- The last point is the least specific but matters a great deal: Am I happy? Do I feel satisfied with how I am showing up in the world and the contribution I am making?
- We can get so busy with the demands of life that we forget to enjoy life. This isn’t as easily measured because a certain amount of emotion is involved, but emotion and energy drive and fuel us.
Five checkpoints that can each contain clues for adjusting and calibrating how we live our lives to ensure we make our highest possible contribution in each moment.
These are disciplines of legacy and deserving of our attention. Balance? Perhaps not. Harmonized? Guarding that every day.
An Invitation
As always, if you are navigating your own moment of needing more harmony in your life as you explore who you are becoming next and want support, clarity, or partnership in that process, I can help.
This is the work I help founders, solopreneurs, and possibility-seekers do every day.
We can explore together what matters now and what will take you into your next season of life, work, or both.
