Is living for the weekend the way to be happy or a huge red flag?
We have all heard about maintaining a great work-life balance ever since childhood. In college, we wanted jobs that would enable the right mix of work and life.
We aspire to achieve great professional success, while not compromising on the fun, family time, me time, travel and so on. This is how our definition of work-life balance has come about.
As our definitions evolved, we have started thinking about work-life balance in terms of time. The clear case being weekdays for work and weekends for self. As this narrative grew, it changed to weekdays for slogging and weekends for relaxation. From just Sunday off, the culture changed to Saturdays off. And in many countries, it is now Friday off. All this being done in an attempt to bring that coveted “work-life balance”.
But does dividing our life into segments bring that balance? Does it bring that joy? Do we feel fulfilled by the end of the Sunday? Do we dread starting off on Monday or look forward to it?
The Key Lies in Integration
The whole narrative around creating a work-life balance is based on one premise – that work and life are separate! But is that our reality? Do we live one life or separate lives? The truth is– Work is a part of life. Just like you and your family are part of your life.
The key lies in integration of work and life. To be precise, it lies in integrating your work, your family and yourself.
But how to do that? It all starts with understanding your purpose and the impact you want to create in each sphere of your life. The so-called notion of ideal work life has also skewed our perception, making us believe that a standard definition of work life can apply to all individuals irrespective of age, desires, work profile, and stage of life.
Age and Priorities
How can a fresher in a job have the same work life as a seasoned 40-year-old professional? Don’t you agree that a young professional should prioritise spending time in building their career, understanding nuances of their work, building relationships, learning new skills Vis-a-vis a 40-year-old who would need to devote more time and focus to their families, health, and building succession. Their energies, drive to build careers, orientation towards family, focus on health would be completely different at different stages in life. But unfortunately, a 25-year-old is setting their benchmark of a work life balance looking at a 40- or 50-year-old, feeling that they have the right kind of life.
Embracing Potential and Purpose
This dilemma of working towards a set definition of work life is a step closer to your doomsday. We all are blessed with a life with unlimited potential.
However, how we utilise our potential is our choice. It can only be harnessed once we are clear about the purpose and impact we want to create without work, for our family and for ourselves. If we are creating that impact in all 3 areas, we would feel joyful. The hours do not matter then. Sunday is no longer just sitting like a couch potato in front of a television. It is about bringing the right results in all areas of your life.
Practical Steps for Integration
To break the cycle of living for the weekend, try the following steps for a week:
- Define what impact you really want to produce for yourself, your family and in your work for one week.
For example, you may want good health for yourself, joy for your family and growth in your work.
- Define what steps you can take in the coming week to bring the above impact. The magnitude of impact is immaterial, but creation of some impact is what we should aim to achieve.
For example, to achieve your health goals, you may want to walk for 15 mins daily or workout for an hour 5 days a week, purely depending upon your time availability, desire and need.
For creating joy, you may cook with your family, go for a movie, go swimming with your kids and so on. The focus is on creating moments of joy.
And for growth, you may do networking meetings, train your team members, learn a new skill, all linked to what can unlock growth at your work.
- Plan the above action steps in your weekly calendar, and track your progress daily to ensure you are following through
- At the end of the week, review what impact you could produce in all areas, and how you felt about that. Repeat for the next week.
Bringing work life integration is not dependent upon your external situations. It is just a matter of the choices you make in whatever life has to offer you. Stop living for the weekend, start living for your purpose.!!
