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In this episode Joel and Antonia reject the idea of a work life balance and suggest an alternative way to see work and life.
In this podcast on the work life balance you’ll find:
- The structure of civilization supported work life balance in the past especially in the Industrial age. There was a clear definition between things to do at work versus things to do at home. There used to be a definite time to do work related activities and a definite time to spend with loved ones at home thus making work life balance easier to attain during that time.
- We are currently in an over communicated time wherein we are so much tethered to communication devices and technology that keep us connected to the world. These allow us to stay on top of things but in turn create a very demanding intensity of workload making it a great challenge and somehow a confusion to have work life balance nowadays.
- Work life balance applies to a structure where there is a need to close one’s self from certain environment and situations. This kind of compartmentalization may appeal to some people but it is now becoming a trend for companies to provide their employees work which allows them some freedom from it.
- Since everything is becoming integrated nowadays, work life balance seems to be a non workable ideal. Instead of work life balance, consider work life integration.
- Integration is better than separation. Instead of compartmentalizing things which is done in work life balance, integration of important components of life allows us to take more control of our increasing workloads.
- Full engagement, full focus and doing things one at a time are some of the ways to integrate components of work and life.
- Overestimating things that we can do is overwhelming and very idealistic that it becomes impossible to attain goals.
- There is an existing belief in society that there is something wrong in achieving things without struggle. Deprogramming ourselves from that belief and instead creating personal development goals that incorporate all components of work and life allows us to experience pleasure along the way making such goals so much easier to attain.
- Personality hacker is fundamentally about being part of your own personal growth and development journey.
- Know whether Work life balance or Work life integration best works for you.
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16 comments
I would say that most people, including the types you suspect otherwise, prefer an integrated work-life thing going on. I think it is more like they can handle the current system more due to the functions, but the workday and school day as they are is unnatural to everyone. They prefer to put their functions to better use elsewhere.
Si types might handle minutiae better, but that is because they have a sense of responsibility, which is part of their philosophy. They do not necessarily like it. I spoke to an ISFJ and he said he gets tired of data too like everyone else. To a certain extent handling “mundane” tasks actually is relaxing and meditative (as the Si types tend to be), and thus healthy, but the way work is set up it is too much, and is unhealthy for everyone. Si types actually love creative activities, such as photography, making crafts, etc…tons of examples. They would rather be using their detail-orientedness to handle that than factory-like work.
On the surface Te types may seem to like a good block of work, but it is not hard to see they actually dislike the current work-a-day world as much as everyone else, and it is unhealthy for them. There are more positive environments to use their Te.
Look into the Venus Project and Zeitgeist Movement—I think an INTJ imagined those. It is a future city with no monetary system that is sustainable. Very efficient city, as a Te person would like. The monetary system needs to be trashed…the world’s debt is 10 times its GDP, I believe. Yes some Te types may like to maximize profits, but if they are shown that the monetary system is actually inefficient, then they would dislike it and would be very good at finding a way out of the current system.
You are right about the resolutions, even at a month-to-month basis, to keep it in the form of an idea—and week by week you strategise concretely how to manifest the idea. There are exceptions to this, like “no fast food” as a month’s resolution should just stand by itself.
The Tao Te Ching is always a classic. There is the I Ching, but that is opaque (I still use it for divination). The real teacher is life—watch paradoxes happen everywhere, watch the opposites support one another, watch how pushing too far one way lands you right in its opposite. It is eerie, and perhaps is a law of the universe.
I do not like the “maximizer” versus “satisfier” mindset. I think we should focus on increasing quality of our own lives and embrace different options in life (opposed to the satisfier mindset). You increase quality of life, but you are always content with wherever the dice falls. So yes, I agree with contentment, but this word often gets conflated with the “satisfier” mindset. The Bhagavad Gita’s “mode of goodness” is something to look into—you work in a flow state, immersed in what you do, disregard success yet still work hard, yet you are content. It is compared metaphorically to the experience of eating an apple. The “mode of passion” corresponds with the maximizer mindset—the more the better, chase after the carrot, feel passionate and then grow exhausted and rinse and repeat. It is compared to extravagant meals.
My TED talk is on this concept, but unfortunately they only give me 8 minutes to speak. I will send the link to you when it gets on the web.
Thanks Leonard for the comments.
As I think more about the integration of work/life for the future – I’m guessing that we will need to develop skill around clear boundaries.
Because our lives are so connected – we will need to be more self-directed to what we allow into our sphere.
Thanks for being apart of the conversation Leonard.
Leon,
Thanks for the feedback and comments. I think you have some really great points…
1) Love the idea of doing resolutions each month. I think this idea keeps it fresh and on top of mind. It probably makes it more realistic. I have a tendency to think I can accomplish more than is reasonable in a year… but a month… I’d have to be more tangible and practical.
2) Like the idea of Taoism and would love to get some direction on starting to study it. Any books you can recommend to get started?
3) Are you proposing that we practice CONTENTMENT in any circumstance? I think that is an excellent way to see it.
3b) When you get the video of your TEDx talk – share it with us on our Facebook page and we’ll share it with all of our social networks like Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Thanks again for being apart of the Personality Hacker community Leon. Glad you are here.
You mentioned the disruption the industrial revolution created in western society. To get an idea of what is coming next I can recommend the book ‘The Second Machine Age’, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
The next 20-30 years are going to change the world in ways we can’t imagine, especially for work life integration, as Joel put it and to which I agree, it is more of an integration. That is not to say life can’t be compartmentalised when required, but as you pointed out the ultra-communication of today will push the boundries of this if people let it.
Often the work you do will dictate the amount of integration required. Personally I have on-call and alot of after hours work so the job obviously is difficult to compartmentalise completely, therefore has to be integrated.
Re new years resolutions, I think it would be close to a couple of decades now since I have played that silly game. If I want to do something, then when I am ready it is time to do it.
Great podcast, with a few meaty bits to chew on and think over.