For Work/Life Balance Perfect is the Enemy of Good

Striving for a literal work/life balance as a definition of happiness sets us all up for disappointment. To have a productive life at work at the same time as having a meaningful personal life is a good idea.

But it was conceptualized before we all started carrying these little computers in our pockets and could access everything in the cloud – back when interruptions were easier to avoid.

Today, work/life balance has a completely different meaning and is much more complex. Today, leadership and employees alike strive to save a piece of their time for social responsibility, have marriages that share family duties, and enjoy work as a fulfilling piece of their identity. No one could sustain the eat, sleep, work, repeat-style rat race that our society had glamorized.

Achieving a perfect work/life balance can’t be the goal unless you look at it from the macro level. So how do leaders set themselves and their employees up for a sustainable version of work/life balance?

Be Honest

Being honest with yourself, your colleagues, your employees, and your family and friends can set everyone up for a more realistic idea of what to expect. When you enter a particularly busy time of year, for example, let those in your personal life know. Likewise, if your mother or child is ill and requires extra attention from you, make your colleagues aware.

Unrealistic expectations are the result of poor communication. Recent trends like the Big Quit were born out of a backlog of not being able to or not taking the opportunity to discuss discontent. Setting expectations for yourself, your peers, and your employees is important and necessary for that foundation of trust and healthy company culture we are always talking about.

Adjust the Attitude

The truth is that work and life aren’t always in balance. Knowing that and being comfortable with that can help create a realistic attitude about time spent at work, at home, with different people, and on your personal growth.

As a leader, realizing that our culture has created the expectation that perfect balance is the goal, the minute it feels like it’s going off course causes many to panic. Providing perspective helps. There are always deadlines to meet and opportunities to catch, but leaders can manipulate workflow to take advantage of different members of the team to maximize efficiency.

Again, communication is key. That doesn’t mean full disclosure when it isn’t appropriate. Boundaries are always important. Discussing when one area of responsibility may take priority can help ease some anxiety around balance.

Change the Motivation

Making more money and growing your career are common goals for working hard. But what if the “working hard” component of that equation was the reward? If you’re working solely for a paycheck, anytime work cuts in on personal time can be stressful. But if performing well to your own standards brings you happiness and a sense of achievement, then work seems like less of an infringement on personal time.

Otherwise known as work/life inclusion, this motivation shift changes the dynamic. It’s no longer a fight of one against the other and who gets more of your time. It’s about feeling successful with the amount of time you allot each area.

Whether you manage people, projects, and/or yourself, setting realistic expectations on your career and personal life will help decrease the need to pursue the unachievable. Find motivation in performing the activities, not the amount of time you’re working at them. What you’ll find is a higher degree of fulfillment.

Liddell Consulting Group develops individualized executive coaching experiences to help leaders build critical competencies for a real impact on personal and organizational success. Our programs are customized to directly address the specific challenges you are facing. Our experienced perspective provides clear steps to measurable results. Contact us today.