40: How to Find a Work-Life Balance by Working More - Work, Life, Balance Lesson #9

The rhetoric around work-life balance is often twinned with messaging around self-care and well-being.And whilst it's true that the end result of improving your work-life balance is usually an enhanced sense of well-being, there are many ways in which a person can get to that point.And one of those that this episode addresses is working more.Yes, you read that correctly: this episode explores how you can improve your work-life balance by INCREASING your work load. In this episode I share some real life examples of people who have done just that, and shared their "work-life balance confession" on the podcast.I will reflect on how this approach can enhance a person’s sense of balance, how it can be managed well, and what the pitfalls are when it goes wrong too.Of course, self-care is the most commonly cited way of improving your work-life balance, but let this episode broaden your mind to other possibilities too.RELATED EPISODES:On Prioritising Work Over Other Things in Life:11: Gilles' Story: On Finding Balance as a Career-Driven Family Man, When Work Takes Priority - https://a-fine-balance.com/2023/04/02/a-fine-balance-the-podcast-season-2-episode-3-out-now/21: Rami's Story: Finding Balance When You’re An Introvert in a Family and Workplace Full of Extroverts - https://a-fine-balance.com/2024/03/13/finding-balance-when-youre-an-introvert-in-a-family-and-workplace-full-of-extroverts-podcast-episode-out-now-season-3-episode-3/Darren’s Story – Confessions of a Workaholic: https://a-fine-balance.com/2020/08/27/108/Marsha’s Story – From high-flying professional to stay-at-home-mum: https://a-fine-balance.com/2020/09/23/work-life-balance-profile-3-marsha/12: Ruth's Story: On Finding Balance When You Want to “Have It All”, Teamwork & Avoiding Stress: https://a-fine-balance.com/2023/04/21/a-fine-balance-the-podcast-season-2-episode-4-out-now/8: Tom's Story - Finding Balance in Retirement: https://a-fine-balance.com/2022/06/18/a-fine-balance-the-podcast-episode-8-out-now/On Reducing Work Load in Pursuit of Balance:9: Amanda's Story - On Not Being Career-Oriented & Finding Balance as a Musician and a Newlywed: https://a-fine-balance.com/2023/02/03/its-official-season-two-of-a-fine-balance-the-podcast-is-live/16: Sam's Story - On Part-Time Working Fatherhood, Perfectionism & Finding Balance When Living with Cancer: https://a-fine-balance.com/2023/12/18/a-fine-balance-the-podcast-season-2-episode-8-out-now/27: Rebecca’s Story - On Flexible Working, Morning Routines & Finding Balance When You're In Charge: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0DAOBqA2RnyMa19gayV9Iz?si=oAkIO6tdQ3qgOMn_PNlMiQThe Fine Balance Between Working Hard, and Working Too Hard: https://a-fine-balance.com/2022/05/18/the-fine-balance-between-working-hard-and-working-too-hard/On Challenging the Term "Work-Life Balance":What's in a Name?https://a-fine-balance.com/2021/09/05/whats-in-a-name/What the hell is “work-life balance” anyway? https://a-fine-balance.com/2024/10/11/what-the-hell-is-work-life-balance-anyway/