Life/Work Integration

Work to live or live to work? That is the question. Work to live is the trend du jour. After all, who is going to admit that they live to work? But why do we have to choose—can’t we have both? There will always be people who espouse one extreme or the other, but I’m willing to bet that most of us are somewhere in the middle.

Work often gets a bad rap, but there are many reasons to value work other than needing the income and benefits. Work has a positive impact on physical and mental health and self-esteem. It also provides a rewarding sense of connectedness.

The key for finding what is right for you and not feeling a need to justify your choice is balance. While commonly called work/life balance, I prefer to call it life/work integration. Sometimes life requires more, sometimes work requires more. In today’s “always connected, always on” world, demands for your time and attention are, by necessity, fluid.

In a June 16, 2014 blog post, I commented, “Here’s a simple tenet for balance and happiness that I keep in mind: know what you love and love what you do. Living to work is not a privilege that comes easy.” But don’t take my word for it. Many great leaders feel the same way.

Photo by Mark Baker