Why Work Life Balance Is a Myth

WHY work life balance is a myth is as important to understand as knowing that it is one. It’s important because the way a topic is framed has a large impact on how we think about it. It directs our focus and influences the options we perceive. Most people I speak with consciously know there is no real balance between work and life. Yet work/life balance is still used to describe a primary challenge facing people. The fundamental issue with the term work/life balance isn’t just that such a thing doesn’t exist. The issue is also the framing of our struggle being one of work/life balance and the assumptions on which that framing is based. One assumption is that working has equal priority to living. Another is that they oppose each other. Thus, the challenge of work/life balance is a fictious one based on inhumane assumptions that prevent creating healthy and sustainable ways of being in the world. In this episode of Unlimited, I explore the roots of the work/life balance myth and how the myth perpetuates itself as a problem. Some of what I talk about in this episode includes: What is work/life balance The history of work/life balance The deep problem with the term work/life balance A starting place to create what you want in life What to expect in Season 3 of Unlimited LINKS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: Truly Experiences - The History of Work Life Balance Oxford Bibliographies – Work/Life Balance Positive Psychology – What Is Work Life Balance Forbes – The Evolving Definition of Work/Life Balance Book – The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz Book – Stolen Focus by Johann Hari Book – How We Show Up by Mia Birdsong Book – Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey Unlimited Episode – Dealing With Impostor Syndrome CONNECT WITH VALERIE: Facebook Instagram Get email updates! Work with Valerie! Apply to be coached on the podcast Ask Val Send us Fan Mail Support the show