Member-only story
The elusive work-life balance. It’s what we all aspire to, right? Crafting neat compartments where professional pursuits, personal passions and family time all get equal priority without impinging on one another.
Days seamlessly shifting from career focus to nourishing hobbies with regular downtime built-in to just zen out and recharge. No burnout. No neglect of relationships or self-care. Everything harmoniously in its place like a Zen garden.
But this quest for perfect equilibrium often brings more angst than inner peace or sustainable success. Because while tidy work-life separation sounds good in theory, reality tends to be far messier. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Surprising research suggests we may be striving for the wrong goal entirely with the balance model. Evidence shows segregating domains often heightens tensions between them rather than relieving strains.
Attempting clean lines divorces parts of ourselves rather than integrating them holistically. This fuels feelings of fragmentation pulling us from unified flow towards ceaseless tension management.
