Work-Life Balance: A Balancing Act Worth the Wobbles

There’s nothing like an impactful event to make you take a close look at your life and, in particular, your work-life balance. It may be positive, like an opportunity to move abroad, or it may be negative, like the death of a beloved family member. Whatever it may be, it’s important to stay cognizant of your reactions and how they play into your work-life balance. 

I’ve had experience with impactful events, and reacted by throwing myself into work, let the life part go. However, I’ve come to recognize the patterns and strategically pull myself out of the grind. I set boundaries and stuck to them, leading me to find the balance I need. These experiences through the ups and downs have led to many insights and are core to the foundational pillars of Simply Hudson. My team and I now coach others on identifying and setting the boundaries needed to develop a work-life balance that’s right for you. 

Mental and Emotional Distraction

With the current work-from-home environment created by the global pandemic, we’re not the only ones noticing an upward trend in people working far more than they ever have before. Anecdotal evidence tells us one cause is the drastic increase in alone time than ever before, leading people to seek mental distractions from their aloneness. They’re throwing themselves into work to get away from themselves. 

Regardless of pandemic-times or not, we’ve seen our clients, colleagues, and friends use work as an emotional distraction. Burying themselves in work rather than the emotional stresses of a bad relationship, money mishaps, or a death in the family provides an escape from reality. 

Working More = Living More

Most of us equate work to money, money to freedom, and freedom to a good life. It’s no surprise that clients are working themselves to the bone to complete this equation. But in reality, the opposite is true. This pursuit of more money to feed your freedom keeps people focused on the future rather than living in the present. We’re working so much that there is no time or energy to enjoy today. Don’t get so caught up in planning for your future that you forget to live for today.

This cycle is part of what prompted me to start Simply Hudson. I was caught up in the rat race, trying to get ahead now so I could relax in the future. I had been future-focused from a young age – sports training for potential scholarships or job offers, building my academic resume to get into the best school to pad my job prospects, fighting to get ahead on Wall Street. There was no way I would survive to retirement age at the pace I was going. Why did my life have to wait until I was older? I wanted to experience the world now, with the energy and physical capabilities of today rather than wait for retirement. It took time to understand and develop the boundaries I needed, but they allowed me the space to experience my life.

I’m Bored

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’ve got nothing better to do so I might as well work.” You’re not alone! I remember many a NYC-night falling asleep with my laptop, a mix of boredom and the need to feel productive. We’ve created an unbalanced work-life routine that has in turn made us live to work. Give yourself permission to do something fun: read a book, paint, sit outside in the fresh air. It’s not necessary to be productive all the time – find ways to disconnect from work and use your “bored” time doing something for yourself!

More to Come on Work-Life Balance

We’re excited to be sharing more on this topic in the coming months. As a core strategy we give to our coaching clients, boundaries set the foundation for a good life.

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