Work Life Balance

Work Life Balance; We all crave it – but is it simply a fairytale?

On a daily basis my clients are always asking how they can achieve that perfect work life balance; that along with this statement – ‘ I guess your home is perfect?’

So let’s start by dispelling a few myths:

1. Perfection is an unsustainable goal
2. As a professional organiser my aim is not perfection; and no my house / life is not perfect
   Don’t get me wrong, I live a very blessed life but like you I am human. Life with two kids, two self employed parents, pets, sporting activities etc means life is crazy but we are no different to you.
3. Balance is very individual

So now that’s out of the way, let me explain how organisation and balance go hand in hand – for me.

For me organisation is my central gravity.
If life gets crazy or I have a disagreement with my husband, organising is my way of equalising myself, taking time out for my thoughts / emotions and if you may a sense of control over a situation or my environment. When the spaces around me are where I need them to be I’m calmer in dealing and accepting what life throws at me.

P.S. That doesn’t make me a control freak – or my house something out of a magazine. We do live here.

When we think of balance we imagine a set of scales where both sides sit at that perfectly even level – where both sides sit completely level.

If you can achieve this on a daily basis – Congratulations!

I’ve yet to achieve this day after day, year after year. It’s not my aim.

However, it’s all in our perception. I feel on a general basis I achieve my own level of balance – but that doesn’t mean it’s without stress.

For me balance is not about being able to juggle ALL the balls in the air at the same time, nor in keeping those scales level. Balance for me is in knowing which balls you need to hold onto, let go of, toss in the air or completely let fall to the floor at any one time. It’s about knowing that more than often those scales are titled. More importantly it’s in the identification of the times at which we need to tilt to enable our own sense of gravity, for those around us.

It’s about knowing when and what to be present for / within at varying intervals.
Work life balance is as individual to you as it is to me. So if you are comparing yourself to another Mum out there who seems to have it all together – just remember it’s easy to put on a brave face, you’re only seeing their life from the outside. Often too our perception of balance is in how we perceive our lives looking from the inside out – does it measure up?

True life exists behind those closed doors and this is our reality.

Your life is uniquely yours. Your centre of gravity, values, interests, balance and family structure / dynamics are all different.

So let’s stop comparing / trying to be perfect / balanced and look more to the understanding of and acceptance of knowing when to tilt!

Tell me in the comments how you manage balance within your life?