The number one factor that makes me think that the phrase “work-life balance” is absurd is that the people who usually say this phrase are employers or supervisors. Rarely will an employee discuss his/her “work-life balance”.
Philosphically, I also find this to be an absurd concept. The phrase conjures up some idea that we are faced with the lady scales of justice and if one side becomes too heavy then we must dump some on the other side. Too much work? I need more family time! This is hardly how life works.
For most of us, even if you enjoy your job, work is a necessity not a pleasure activity. If we didn’t need money, we’d be spending time with our family or golfing or sleeping or watching Family Guy, we wouldn’t be sitting in an office for 8-12 hours a day getting told what to do with our lives.
Also, you will always have a priority. If a boss chooses to make you work and you have to miss your kids soccer games and these are important to you, you’ll figure out a way to get there if you can.
Next time someone wants to talk about your work-life balance, talk to them about priorities (and measure yourself on them as well). If your life and your work don’t match up with what you claim to be your priorities, figure out what you would need to do to get there and start taking steps. Just don’t waste anyones time with the absurd notion of the lady of justice balancing the scales – it doesn’t work that way.
I’ve always been kind of annoyed with the phrase because it implies that work is not a part of your life, but that it interferes with it. This means that work is a bad thing, that you need to keep away from your life. As opposed to understanding that work and family and friends and hobbies and other things are all part of what makes up your life. A supervisor who suggests you get your work/life balance, uh, balanced, has already conceded the fact that your job is a distraction from your life, not a part of it.
Well said! Again, you always have priorities and work (as in a 9-5 job) tends to be something that people do as a necessity. Telling me that I need to have balance is ridiculous. Let me figure out what my priorities are and you (my boss) just worry about what I’m getting done while I’m at work.