Apparently work life balance is the thing that all modern workers should be striving for.

We are led to believe that we should be constantly aiming to balance living as a healthily functioning, societally successful, well-adjusted, and self-actualised human on one end of the seesaw along with being an effective, efficient, and super-productive modern worker on the other.

The idea of being considered a failure for anything short of perfection when measured against the modern marketing driven standards of a successful life is a powerful force.

However, it is becoming more and more clear that in our fast-paced, digitally driven, consumption obsessed modern world, the chances of achieving genuine work life balance are vanishingly small.

Throw in the economic and time pressures placed on people in the modern world by greedy corporations & shareholders plus onerous legislation & taxation and the heat rises still further.

The very pursuit of work life balance itself may even be doing us all sorts of harm on many levels, both personally and collectively.

Many of us are in survival mode but the clarion calls for work life balance still blare out.

Work life balance and modern technology

The advent of the internet and mobile technology promised freedom and flexibility.

Professionals were no longer tethered to their desks. They were able to work remotely and manage personal responsibilities simultaneously. It seemed to be a convenient solution for all parties.

The convenience, however, came at a cost. The same technology that promised liberation has invaded every aspect of life, with work emails, messages, and phone calls intruding into personal time, erasing the line between “on” and “off” hours.

Nowadays, much of today’s workplace culture glorifies being “always-on.”

Employees are often expected to be available round-the-clock, with prompt responses to work communications being seen as a sign of dedication and reliability.

It can be a requirement for advancement or a necessity to avoid being laid off.

This expectation is quickly becoming normalised and has led to an epidemic of burnout, stress, and mental health issues, indicating that the scales are too heavily biased towards work in the so-called work life balance.

The rise of AI will no doubt have a huge impact on work life balance and many other things besides, but it is perhaps too early to predict if this impact will be positive or negative.

Work life balance and the myth of multi-tasking

Multitasking means doing two or more activities at the same time, and it has long been encouraged so that we can do more in less time for better work life balance.

However, research (Uncapher 2015 & Garner 2020) has shown that multitasking is not an effective way to be productive. In fact, it can often lead to decreased productivity, increased errors, and increased stress.

Our brains are simply not up to multitasking as they can only focus effectively on one thing at a time.

Multitasking can lead to distractions and information overload.

The constant switching between multiple tasks coupled with the feeling of being overwhelmed can lead to increased stress levels for the worker concerned.

If you want to be more productive and less stressed, it’s best to focus on one task at a time.

I can recommend two great books on the topic:

“The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results” by Gary Keller

“Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport

Work life balance and working from home

Remote working has been a long-time option for many knowledge workers. If remote working is a mutually agreed situation between worker and employer, it can work well with planning, thoughtful management, and careful monitoring.

In recent years, working from home (WFH) has become a thing for most knowledge workers. Sometimes voluntary, because it is seen as more convenient for busy people, but often compulsory as employers downsize facilities and office space to save money or realise ever greater profit.

WFH is now a special case which has upped the ante in terms of work life balance problems.

It can and does offer some convenience and advantages, but convenience is not the same as balance.

Whilst WFH might seem like a perfect solution for some, there are many potential problems to be aware of such as:

• Distractions & social isolation
• Unstructured or fragmented work schedules
• Personal time management issues
• Communication challenges and lack of close collaboration opportunities
• Limited professional development and training
• Technology issues
• Stresses and strains on friends, family, and pets.
• And more besides

The potential health impacts of pursuing work life balance

The irony is that the near constant battle to juggle work commitments with personal time can lead to heightened stress levels, which in turn may increase the risk of developing various health issues such as anxiety, depression, and even burnout.

The pressure to excel in both spheres can take a toll on one’s physical health, resulting in issues like insomnia, fatigue, and even more serious conditions such as hypertension or heart disease.

This pressure for work life balance attainment can take a real and negative toll on your overall well-being if not managed effectively.

Many modern workers are now taking more control of their work life balance.

Many modern organisations only pay lip service to work life balance. They often only make the right noises to cover their corporate backsides just in case the brown smelly stuff ever hits the rotating cooling device.

It makes sense then for modern workers to take more control of their own work life balance.

This is not easy and sometimes the “cure” can be as bad as the ailment.

Quiet quitting

Quiet quitting is a modern term used to describe a situation in which employees disengage from or put in minimal effort at their jobs. It can be seen as an unsubtle way of rebalancing the work life scales when employees begin to feel undervalued, ignored or overwhelmed.

Quiet quitting employees do only the barest minimum required by their job descriptions, entirely avoiding work-related communication outside of work hours and being less than enthusiastic about their work in general. This may include not participating actively in meetings, not expressing interest in new projects, and not taking on new challenges.

Employers would do well to take note of this emerging phenomenon.

Unhappy and disengaged employees are unproductive employees, and they can negatively impact overall customer satisfaction.

These are expensive issues for employers.

Rapidly changing jobs and employers

One solution being adopted by some workers is to frequently change jobs in pursuit of better employment conditions and better work life balance.

This obviously suits the more able and skilled workers in terms of maximising choice but ultimately all workers can become more mobile as gaps inevitably open in the marketplace.

This might work in the short-term but there are costs to the disruption for workers and employers. Long-term I predict there will be a reduction in many areas including training and development. Employers will likely not spend money training or developing someone who they believe will leave anyway so they try to hire in the talent they need. Loyalty falls in both camps and salary instability will also become a factor.

Employers should take careful note as their organisations will effectively become more “unintelligent” with every rise in employee churn. An unintelligent workforce is an expensive workforce.

In my experience,  lots of other subtle and not so subtle dynamics will be in play, all of which will serve to increase work life imbalance over time.

The rise of the side hustle

The rise of the “side hustle” has become a prominent trend. Side hustles, or additional income streams, provide workers with an opportunity to explore their passions outside of their traditional 9-5 jobs. Many creative opportunities are both available and accessible.

By trying to achieve better work-life balance by engaging in activities outside of their primary job responsibilities, individuals can find fulfilment, purpose, and a sense of accomplishment that may well be lacking in their day-to-day work.

When coupled with a quiet quitting main work reducing approach, this can pan out reasonably well for some workers. The side hustle could conceivably become the more enjoyable main hustle if managed effectively.

Again, employers should note this trend as they will experience the many negative effects of not effectively looking after their employee’s work life balance.

Becoming self-employed

An extension of the side hustle approach is the move to full self-employment.

Key knowledge workers with high-demand skills can move to self-employment or set up their own entrepreneurial ventures.

This approach can yield genuine benefits for work life balance if managed well. I am a self-employed person. I can tell you that self-employment isn’t for the faint-hearted. The rewards can be high, but the lack of a regular salary can be stressful at first. Seek appropriate advice and guidance.

Think about “Work Life Boundary Control” instead of work life balance

My preference, and the approach I take in my professional and personal life, is rigid boundary setting and control.

I’m a freelance communication and interpersonal skills trainer, training designer and coach.

When I’m working, I’m working.

When I’m off the clock, it’s my time to do with as I like.

I prioritise and compartmentalise ruthlessly.

This approach took some time to set up and develop. I will freely admit that it is also a situation which has evolved randomly over time. I did not deliberately design this approach. Had I known better back then I would have taken steps to design it usefully from the start.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but, in my experience, the earlier people set themselves up for success the better.

There are three key factors in play and working for me:

• Having marketable skills and abilities and always being willing to adapt and learn as market demands change.

• Engaging only in discreet transactional business to enable compartmentalisation.

• Setting clear and simple personal and professional boundaries and sticking to them.

Take some time out to consider how you might set far more clear and manageable boundaries in your work and life. Here are a few good questions to ponder.

What skills or abilities might you be able to learn to facilitate this?

Where could you simplify, reduce, or eliminate to gain more control over your boundaries?

What would your perfect view of work life balance look like?

Over to you

The quest for work life balance in the modern world is fraught with challenges.

While technology and changing work cultures have offered some flexibility, they have also created an environment where effective disengagement from work is extremely difficult.

As we move forward, it will be crucial for both individuals and organisations to rethink and redefine what balance means in this “digital” age.

In my humble opinion, the focus should shift from work life balance to setting rigidly controlled boundaries and honouring them.

This means people taking full self-ownership.

This means creating protected spaces for personal life and well-being amidst the demands of the modern work culture.

Only then, I believe, can we hope to achieve a semblance of harmony, or even survival, in our increasingly hectic lives.

That is all for this one

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you found value in it, subscribe to the blog. You might also like to check out these related articles:

Self-Discipline Drives Success

Luck and Rigging Your Own Game

Stop and Recharge

References:

Uncapher, Melina & Thieu, Monica & Wagner, Anthony. (2015). Media multitasking and memory: Differences in working memory and long-term memory. Psychonomic bulletin & review. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280585944_Media_multitasking_and_memory_Differences_in_working_memory_and_long-term_memory.

PS If you want more Emotional Intelligence in your life, why not check out my powerful “Develop Your Emotional Intelligence” mini-video course. It’s all free and you can find it here:  https://andrewdpope.kit.com/develop-your-eq