{"id":1783,"date":"2018-09-04T11:47:30","date_gmt":"2018-09-04T11:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/?p=1783"},"modified":"2021-07-30T16:23:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T16:23:10","slug":"work-life-in-the-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/open-leadership\/work-life-in-the-balance","title":{"rendered":"Work-Life (in the) Balance"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Work-life balance may not be the best start if it brings more emphasis on a divide between both.<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p><strong>For ages and until relatively recently<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>people had only a \u2018life\u2019. \u2018Work\u2019 was what you had to do to stay alive <em>within<\/em> that life. At times, one had to work really hard\u2026 still it wasn\u2019t \u2018work\u2019 as apart from \u2018life\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>There was no \u2018balance\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re still talking pre-agriculturally, people hunting and gathering. Yes, there was a \u2018time to hunt\u2019 but this was part of life. Babies had to be breast-fed. Elderly people had to be taken care for\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Then came living-together in bigger groups<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>and the start of \u2018rationalization\u2019, people getting specific jobs. Specialization brought efficiency and\u2026 fast forward\u2026 work-life balance.<\/p>\n<p>Connotations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Life is good (fun, free, fulfilling\u2026) but costs money.<\/li>\n<li>Work is bad (dreary, coerced\u2026) but brings money.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Things you have to keep in balance or you end up with either too little fun or too little money.<\/p>\n<p>And you need the money to get the fun. So.<\/p>\n<p>This way, a balance is always a two-sided compromise [see: \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=1786\">Compromis-cuity<\/a>\u2019]. Otherwise said: it sucks both ways.<\/p>\n<p>Connotations come quickly, even nonconsciously. Therefore, it\u2019s good to take a few moments to reflect now and then, such as about:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Should there actually be a \u2018balance\u2019?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sure there are things in your work that you like and sure there are things in your non-working life that you don\u2019t like. So, instead of making the distinct divide in your mind (the \u2018balance\u2019) you can try to see them more as an inseparable whole.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>I see it as an essential part of the job of an Open Leader to guide people in this process.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>You may still need to go to work so many hours a week. What I mean is: try to see your work as much as possible as \u2018life\u2019. Try to enjoy little things. Then: as many as possible little things. Or maybe even bigger things.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>How-to, for instance<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Look not at work as a necessary chain of actions but as a way \u2013 a kind of pretended play even \u2013 that we perform to be able to <strong>care for people<\/strong> \u2013 while \u2018working\u2019, I mean \u2013 including yourself.<\/p>\n<p>In this, <strong>grow and let grow<\/strong>. You may search within your job for the growth-oriented elements and <em>enjoy<\/em> them as you can. Growth is intrinsic to life. Search growth and you find life. The same as with caring.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Don\u2019t ever let your \u2018work\u2019 stand in the way of \u2018life\u2019 just like that\u2026<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>during working hours nor outside of working hours.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not worth it. Additionally it\u2019s not even efficient. It\u2019s a clear part of the road towards burnout. [see: \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=1725\">Burnout is a Long and Winding Road<\/a>\u2019]<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>A \u2018work\u2019 without \u2018life\u2019 is a fire without fuel.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sooner or later, the fire diminishes\u2026 then extinguishes. Logical, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p>So, if you even <em>feel<\/em> that your work becomes lifeless, then try to bring back some life into it. Not apart from it but right into it. Not a balance, but an integration, a synthesis. That is: without any of both standing in the way of the other.<\/p>\n<p>And yes, with enough (this is: huge) caution, you might also see this as:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>You can draw some \u2018work\u2019 into your \u2018life\u2019.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Ha, I can see many readers\u2019 hairs stand on end. Is this not just what we want to avoid? Is it not dangerous? Indeed it is. Therefore you should only do so if you <em>really<\/em> see the synthesis, if you <em>really<\/em> feel that it energizes you.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>In the future, when A.I. will be taking our \u2018work\u2019<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>people (even you?) will have no choice but to look differently at \u2018life\u2019 and \u2018work\u2019\u2026 It\u2019s the \u2018scary future\u2019? Well, the present is the future of the past in which we also saw the most radical changes in \u2018work\u2019 versus \u2018life\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>In an envisioned A.I.-future, there will be no necessary \u2018work\u2019. Still, people may find \u2018work\u2019 inside \u2018life\u2019. This may look like: doing something for another not out of necessity but out of sheer joy.<\/p>\n<p>Right.<\/p>\n<p>And cannot we, at least partly, already make this into an ideal way of working?<\/p>\n<p>Can we not strive towards letting work evolve towards this ideal\u2026 here and now?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Can we not\u2026 forget the \u2018balance\u2019?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Only life is worth living.<\/p>\n<div data-object_id=\"1783\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkwrap cbxwpbkmarkwrap_no_cat cbxwpbkmarkwrap-post \"><a  data-redirect-url=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\"  data-display-label=\"0\" data-show-count=\"0\" data-bookmark-label=\" \"  data-bookmarked-label=\" \"  data-loggedin=\"0\" data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"1783\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig  cbxwpbkmarktrig-button-addto\" title=\"Bookmark This\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig-label\"  style=\"display:none;\" > <\/span><\/a> <div  data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"1783\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap\" id=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap-1783\"><div class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguest-message\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguesttrig_close\"><\/a><h3 class=\"cbxwpbookmark-title cbxwpbookmark-title-login\">Please login to bookmark<\/h3>\n\t\t<form name=\"loginform\" id=\"loginform\" action=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-login.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-username\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_login\">Username or Email Address<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"log\" id=\"user_login\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-password\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_pass\">Password<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"password\" name=\"pwd\" id=\"user_pass\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-remember\"><label><input name=\"rememberme\" type=\"checkbox\" id=\"rememberme\" value=\"forever\" \/> Remember Me<\/label><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-submit\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" name=\"wp-submit\" id=\"wp-submit\" class=\"button button-primary\" value=\"Log In\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_to\" value=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/form><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Work-life balance may not be the best start if it brings more emphasis on a divide between both. For ages and until relatively recently people had only a \u2018life\u2019. \u2018Work\u2019 was what you had to do to stay alive within that life. At times, one had to work really hard\u2026 still it wasn\u2019t \u2018work\u2019 as <a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/open-leadership\/work-life-in-the-balance\">Read the full article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-object_id=\"1783\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkwrap cbxwpbkmarkwrap_no_cat cbxwpbkmarkwrap-post \"><a  data-redirect-url=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\"  data-display-label=\"0\" data-show-count=\"0\" data-bookmark-label=\" \"  data-bookmarked-label=\" \"  data-loggedin=\"0\" data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"1783\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig  cbxwpbkmarktrig-button-addto\" title=\"Bookmark This\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig-label\"  style=\"display:none;\" > <\/span><\/a> <div  data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"1783\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap\" id=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap-1783\"><div class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguest-message\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguesttrig_close\"><\/a><h3 class=\"cbxwpbookmark-title cbxwpbookmark-title-login\">Please login to bookmark<\/h3>\n\t\t<form name=\"loginform\" id=\"loginform\" action=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-login.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-username\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_login\">Username or Email Address<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"log\" id=\"user_login\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-password\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_pass\">Password<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"password\" name=\"pwd\" id=\"user_pass\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-remember\"><label><input name=\"rememberme\" type=\"checkbox\" id=\"rememberme\" value=\"forever\" \/> Remember Me<\/label><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-submit\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" name=\"wp-submit\" id=\"wp-submit\" class=\"button button-primary\" value=\"Log In\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_to\" value=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/form><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[72,5,23],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/251.jpg?fit=961%2C558&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Fdiq-sL","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1783"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1789,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\/revisions\/1789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}