Ending the Work Versus Life Imbalance

There have been hundreds of books, seminars and consultants focused on helping people negotiate the demands of balancing life and work. Yes, there are workaholics who can’t seem to turn it off—ever. But here’s what I think: Life-work balance is only necessary when you’re doing a job you hate. That could cover a lot of careers obviously, because everyone has their own preferences. So if you hate your career (and plan to stay there) then yes—start working on the balance thing. But if you really love what you do, then a quote from English educator and philosopher L.P. Jacks tosses the life-work equation out the window: “A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing and leaves it to others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always seems to be doing both.” So perhaps the best suggestion is to stop worrying about work-life balance, and start finding a career you love.