Episode #12: The Myth(?) of Work/Life Balance 

Great discussion of yet another narrative we tell ourselves that generally makes us less happy! By not UpThinking Work/Life Balance we stop thinking and just feel based upon our current situation with minimal analysis and intentional action.

Can we dive into retirees and how the “Work-Life Balance” impacts them? One friend’s mental model is “work is a part of my AMAZING life.” Another part of his life is cycling. He worked, cycled, and enjoyed the travel, companionship, experiences, etc. that it brought him, AND had a rewarding, high-impact career. He retired and continued LIFE … which now involved MORE cycling. Another friend of mine is about to retire. Their mental model is “work is work, life is life, and they should not mix.” They have mental models of how to do great things at work and have an incredibly successful professional life. As they approach retirement, they’re anxious about applying those mental models to “not-work.” These thoughts create conflict for them. If they retire and apply their “work mental models” to not-work, then, they worry that their work will in some ways haunt them. The ways of working at work, by coming into their personal life, will make them always seem to be at work. So, the fulfillment of retirement can be at risk for them. I know they can build a new mental model and adapt. Life has been great for them. If they choose to build a new model, life will continue to be amazing.

My room mate talks on speaker phone all the time. Literally , about 85% of his day is speaker phone . And I have sensory problems with sound and light .

And it is not a static forever state. It should be balancing, an active, ever changing state?