The Work-Life Balance Game
Sometimes, life feels like a circus juggling act. Things to do, places to be, and schedules to constantly shift and re-arrange. We time manage, we plan, we start early sometimes, and we cram before a deadline other times. We try to be as efficient as possible with our 24 hours. We have heard somewhere that work-life balance is important, so that we do not spend all our time at work, and non at home with family and friends. We know we need to prioritize time away from work for our well-being.
So we plan in fun things to do in our time off, but what if...
If we valued rest and recovery equal to activities:
In all our planning and doing, it is easy to forget the value of slowing down, doing nothing, and rest. We may take a walk in the forest, but is it restorative if we use the occasion to plan our work or shopping list? We may go home early from work, but is it rest if we have the evening schedule full of things to do? We may have time to spend with friends, but is it restorative if we feel depleted afterward? We may get some time alone, but is it rest if our minds keep producing thoughts at high speed?
Instead of work-life balance, what would we change if we instead aimed for activity-rest balance?
Our minds get good at the things we practice. If we repeatedly practice being in activities, our mind’s default mode will be to have something to do or think about constantly. To begin shifting from activity towards rest, we need to start teaching the mind how to be at rest, e.g., through meditation and mindfulness practices. Finding an activity-rest balance takes training and effort at first, but re-gaining the ability to recharge ones batteries is worth it and will fundamentally bring well-being into our lives.