The phrase work / life balance suggests that the day is split into two distinct segments and that we use one (life) to recover from the other, and we use work to pay for the life part.
I am still programmed in the old ways of 8-hours of work, 8-hours of rest and 8-hours of play. I feel bad if I do too much of one and not enough of the other. I need to retrain myself to think differently.
During the week I will often finish working ‘early’ because I am tried and have had enough of working for the day. However I like work and if I have a couple of free hours on a Saturday, chances are you will find me at my desk.
It’s not that I do not like working Monday to Friday, it’s just that I like working in shorter blocks. I feel that I should work long hours in the week, to get on top of things, bring in more money and ensure my weekends are completely free but I get frustrated when I do. When I don’t feel the need to work, like at weekends, I am drawn to it because I enjoy working but I’m not being forced to. The rebel inside me at work again.
Afternoons are another example. I’ve been working all day and I’m looking forward to a few drinks and hanging out. If I don’t have any work that needs to be done right now, I should finish early and enjoy myself. What do I do instead? I sit at my desk flicking between e-mails and next week’s jobs, trying to find something to do.
I’m forcing myself into ‘normal’ routines but I’m an entrepreneur, a freelancer, a digital nomad – I have much more freedom than most people but I find myself squandering it. I don’t need to work at these ‘normal’ times plus I work better when I’m doing what I want, when I want to. That is a major reason why I stopped working for other people. I can now choose what to do and when to do it.
Work and life feel like two completely distinct areas of life. You work and then once you finish working, you can relax for the rest of the day. Monday to Friday is defined by work and weekends are for everything else. That shouldn’t be the case for us.
We have the freedom and opportunity to go for a long afternoon walk or go out for coffee each morning. I need to shake off this mentality that if everyone else around me is working, I should be too. It’s a built-in guilt that I have carried over from my years working in real jobs. I know that most of society is at work now and that makes me feel like I should be doing something productive, too.
The week can be fluid, we have the opportunity to switch between work and life. We don’t need alarm clocks or set schedules. We can work late if we want to, wake up whenever. We need, I need to stop forcing myself into our people’s schedules and enjoy the life that I have created for myself.
