Rob,
Good points and food for thought. A while back, I came to a realization that perhaps there is no such thing as “Work-Life Balance” for me. I have since taken an approach of being “At Peace” about the work/family struggle.
These days, work and family are two forces that are way too dynamic to achieve a balance all the time. Many of us (the readers of the blog) engage in knowledge work, and it is quite dynamic and different from the more predictable industrial-age assembly line work. Family these days can be just as dynamic as ever, depending on your life style. I have found that, as soon as I do something on one side to achieve a “balance,” something quickly changes and thing are off balance again.
So I try to do the following on a daily basis. Plan and prioritize what I need to get done and what results I need to achieve. At a pre-determined point, just GO HOME and, where I am, BE THERE. I check the emails one last time before bed to keep tab on things, and, sure, I answer phone call from boss and co-workers. I don’t stay “plugged-in” to work the entire day.
My last point may be philosophical and open to debate. I am not sure work and family are two things that are ever going to be quite equal. Sure, we can probably integrate/overlap both to some degree but that will largely depend on the individual’s aspirations and constraints. I doubt my wife and children will ever want to integrate their family interactions with my work, nor do I expect that. I am in the camp that family is more important, and being digitally connected these days does not necessarily translate to detriment to family interactions. With those considerations in mind, it helps me to prioritize what I need to do on both fronts so I can be “At Peace.”
David Lowe
