Episode #175 Balance Is Impossible

Seven Problems

• The pursuit of balance presumes the possibility of perfection.
• When we say that we want a better work-life balance, we typically mean that we want less work and more life.
• We often treat Monday through Thursday as a dress rehearsal for the weekend.
• If we treat our work like a time card, our work will treat us like a time card puncher.
• We tend to blame our work for a lack of balance while simultaneously squandering our 6:00pm – 6:00am.
• We will regularly let others down even while making thoughtful and intentional decisions.
• We often treat life as a sprint rather than a marathon.

Eight Principles

• Balance is not a circumstance that happens to us but rather a choice that we make.
• The most important hours of our day are the first hour and the last hour.
• More can happen in a minute of intentionality than in a month of unintentionality.
• Sometimes the most effective way to accelerate our impact is to slow down.
• The accumulation of small choices and daily decisions will inevitably lead to the outcomes we desire.
• We don’t need to wait until we have the perfect plan to establish a new routine.
• Balance may be impossible, but wellbeing is entirely achievable.
• We are unlikely to find ourselves feeling burnt out if we regularly and deeply connect with other human beings.

Five Practices

• Identify opportunities to integrate your work life and your non-work life.
• When life feels out of balance, identify which No could enable your Yes to really be Yes.
• Substitute the question “What’s the most I can give?” with “What’s the best I can give?”
• Whatever it is that you choose to say Yes to today, do it all out and all the way.
• When you struggle to say No, try saying Not Yet.