Mind-Manual

Work-Life Balance is a Lie

“Work-life balance” is a completely useless and perhaps destructive term. Where I work part-time, I constantly see employee development courses on maintaining a “work-life balance”. Screw that. That implies two terrible things: first, that there is my work and then there’s the rest of my life and they should have equal priority, and secondly that “balance” usually implies some sort of equality.

The first point assumes that all of the other roles we play as friends, partners, parents, lovers, children, siblings, human beings and many others go up against the one role of being an EMPLOYEE. My life includes work, but is not going to be balanced out with work, because “work-life balance” implies there is some sort of balance to be achieved. Balance usually refers to somin being equal. If I was to do that, out of every 24 hour day, I should spend 12 hours working and try to cram the rest of my life such as sleeping, working on personal projects, and hanging out in the other 12 hours. That just seems idiotic.

I prefer Tim Ferriss‘ take on the idea of work-life balance. He says there should be “work-life separation”. I still have some qualms about this term, but this at least gives the possibility of reducing the time and attention you give to work, possibly working less than the fabled 40-hour week.

BTW, I’m using “work” in the sense of a job and being an employee. I personally use the broadest sense of word “work” in my life: that of anything that I’d like to do, including job stuff, personal stuff, relationship stuff, humour stuff, personal projects for love not money, etc.

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The 4-Hour Work Week Lifestyle

A retired couple essentially live the 4-Hour Work Week Lifestyle, though instead of automated income, they have pensions. They enjoy the good life on $2000 dollars a month in Mexico. This is strictly a “if you’ve got the time and you want a little motivation for your own journey” article.

Enjoy:

How we retired in luxury — on $2000 a month

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