Do you see “work” and “life” as an either/or?

My vision isn’t work-life balance; it’s work-life integration. Sometimes I work on weekends. Sometimes I do personal stuff during the “work day.” The ideal is to transition easily between activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, regardless of where they’re located or whether you’re getting paid.

What planet do I live on, you ask?  My planet – my work-life integrated planet – and the weather’s fine.

I know, I know … I’m lucky. I’m self-employed, and I enjoy my work as much as I enjoy my non-work time.  They each satisfy different values – and they’re equally important.  My work satisfies my sense of purpose, my need to contribute, and my desire to connect with like-minded, like-hearted people.  (And yes, it satisfies my need to earn bucks — but if that were the only motivation, I’d be miserable working.)

My non-work time, of course, satisfies my need for freedom and spontaneity – my need not to be beholden to deadlines – as well as, of course, pure fun, relaxation, and connection with the people I love most.

Too many of us see work as solely a means to an end.  Something we have to tough out to get to the reward (money, weekends, vacation, retirement).  How sad – to expend half of our waking hours on activities that don’t matter.

If you’re currently toughing it out, then yes, your short-term task isn’t work-life integration; it’s work-life balance.

But your long-term task is to brainstorm what’s possible for you to interject more “life” into your “work” by going after – in your current job and/or the next one – what you enjoy doing, what fulfills you. Because work-life balance is a poor substitute.

You’ll find advice everywhere on achieving work-life balance.  Here are five ideas for work-life integration:

1. Take an inventory of the things you like to do best at work.  Reflect on what you can do to increase your involvement in similar activities – and then have a conversation with your boss.

 

1. Inquire into flexible scheduling. Maybe you can work part-time from home. Maybe you can come in late when you need to, or get off early, and make up the time another day.

 

1. Take five minutes alone to imagine yourself on your death bed.  What did you not get to do that was important? Who did you not get to be?  Now – what are you going to do about?

 

1. Take an inventory of your skills, your passions, and the working conditions that make you happy.  Talk with friends about what you might do in the future at the intersection of those three domains. Then create a plan.  Then be a project manager for your own plan.

 

1. Finally, regard what you’re doing now as a choice you’re making, instead of a situation you’re the victim of.  Remind yourself why you’ve made that choice.  If those reasons are no longer primary, what new choices are you willing to make so that life and work are not mutually exclusive?