The Myth of Work-Life Balance.
The whole concept of “work-life balance” is flawed, because it implies that “work” is somehow separate from “life.”Life is life. Work is life. Play is life.We may mentally categorize our lives into work time, family time, social life, and so on, but these separations are an illusion. Every part of our lives (and the universe) is interconnected—and everything is in flux, all the time.For years, I was at war with my career.It had morphed into a wild beast with a mind of its own. It—among other things—drove me to depression, anxiety, mania, insomnia.One of my jobs made me resort to suicidal fantasies, another led to my penchant for habitually smoking a bowl before work and/or on my lunch hour. I would go find a patch of shaded grass in which to sit and eat my sandwich and do a minute of yoga and be outside in the fresh air with some semblance of cerulean freedom… before dragging myself back to the grey computer in the grey cubicle in the big grey office building.Like so many people, I was basically a paid corporate slave who “earned” two weeks of vacation per year. Plus national holidays!In a scenario like this, there is no possibility of balance.Even if your schedule is more flexible and you “work from home,” is that better or worse? Instead of working for the weekend, we’re working on the weekend—to make ends meet and/or because our “office” is in our pocket.If you hate your job and must compartmentalize it as separate and mutually exclusive from your “real life,” this is a sure sign you need to find a better suited job or career or vocation or living.Is the salary, health insurance and retirement plan really worth it?Keep reading
Translation: Go to school. Get a job. Get married. Procreate. Follow the style. Try to be normal. Don't go crazy. Watch TV. Obey the law. Save for retirement... Now, repeat after me: "I am free."