Work and personal time are not separate. As an engaged worker, I am without a doubt entertaining new ideas for work as I am making dinner or washing clothes or waiting for my daughter to finish cello practice, just to name a few. Also, as someone who has a life outside of work, I need to pay bills or run errands among other things during specified work hours. Why not embrace the integration, keeping feelings of guilt at bay, and productivity in high supply? As promised, this post is meant to dive a little deeper into the idea of work/life integration in lieu of work/life balance.
Work/life balance suggests there is a clearly defined line between work and life. Work/life balance requires you to define start and stop moments as to not take advantage of those at work or steal quality time from your family. How many of you have work email on your phone? How many of you complete work assignments at home? How many of you grade papers outside of school? These are not bad habits, but these activities eliminate the possibility of finding balance. The only other option is integration.
Work/life integration from a leadership perspective equates knowing your crew, acknowledging their needs beyond the immediate goals of the organization, and allowing room for autonomy. Work/life integration from a team member perspective is synonymous with managing your time and creating space for all of your needs (work and personal) within your day. The actual integration of work and personal life will be designed with the focus of the people in your immediate circle, including yourself, in mind. The integration of work and life will be specific to the person but will ultimately benefit both the family or home and the work or organization.
While nothing is true for all or written in stone, I can assure you that in this day and age where technology rules the world, it is indeed a difficult task to separate work from life. The merge of time and responsibility at home and at work is innate if there is any level of engagement to be found and nurtured. Stop lying to yourself. Embrace the idea that successful management of your life depends on the integration of personal life and work.
