Now a days , people find it difficult to balance between professional life and personal
commitments. The article “ No such thing as work-life balance” challenges the idea of
seperating work from life instead it suggests that work and life are part of a single
whole . While work-life balance can not be achieved , people can still achieve a sense
of satisfaction by limiting technology usage , prusuing a non-work related passion and
combining life with work .
With the help of technology it is now much more easier for work to get into our lives.
Social media apps such as instagram, whatsapp and gmail made the employee more
approchable than in the past . Hamann , in the article suggests that after waking up in
the morning we should at least wait 30 minuntes before checking your email or phone .
In these 30 minutes if the individual exposes his brain to an activity he loves to do he
would feel a sense of joy and satisfaction. I personally noticed siginificant improvements
in my mood and productivity when i dont use my phone immdeiatly after waking up .
Another strategy is to have a passion or a hobby to do out side of work . As hamann
said in the article that a having a non-work related passion can help you feel a sense of
joy or satisfaction that the job may not offer . For example an individual can put some
time in jogging to make him feel refreshed from the stress of work . When i feel
stressed from work i prefer go for a run with collegues to recharge both mentally and
physically , what i noticed is when we go back to work we feel an increase in
productivity and a clear mindset.
Some times seperating work from life is not the only solution to achieve our needs .
As herbret mentioned the idea of “ consolidation” which he then explained it as the
merging of work and life in a way that benifits both the employer and the employee. For
example an employer can provide an opportunity for the employee to work from home,
this would let the employee to have lunch with his family before returning to their tasks.
In conclusion, Although perfect work-life balance is something that might be
unrealistic, there are some strategies that can lead to a better work-life balance by
managing technology usage, having a non-work related passion and combining life with
work in way that benefits each side.Work is only a part of life , and we must remember
to live the other parts too.