Do you take time for yourself or is work-life balance a challenge?

Do you live a repetitive lifestyle (or rat race) that leaves no time for enjoyment, or do you truly enjoy your life?

Do you ever feel guilty about stopping your workday to take a break? Earlier on in my career I used to think that if I took a break during my workday or in the midst of a pressing deadline, that I just didn’t have time for it, not to mention that it would be difficult for me to get back to the task at hand. However, through the years, I’ve discovered that my thinking was counterintuitive. By taking regular breaks, it actually helped me to be more productive than working without stopping. I have realized that taking a quality break or two helps reduce my stress, so that I’m ready to refocus when I return to work. I have also realized the importance of taking time for myself and that it contributes to a higher level of productivity and effectiveness on my job and overall life.

What about you, have you found a fluid approach to integrate work and life, rather than trying to balance them equally?

I recall this being a challenge for me, especially during my young adult life. This was a time when I was at my first engineering firm, directing the business development efforts for their Northern California practice. By then, I had been working for eight or nine years, right out of college. I was in my late 20s and so full of life. For the first year, I allowed the pressures and the deadlines to get to me and because of this, I would work endless hours, regularly getting home at 9 or 10 PM. At this time, I had only been married for one year, and, as you could imagine, it affected my marriage. I was working constantly and stressing myself out and feeling guilty about enjoying my life. I don’t quite remember when exactly I came to this realization, but God showed me that He created us both to work and to enjoy our lives. I was reminded of what the book of the Ecclesiastes, chapter 2, verse 24 says, “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.”

As I now reflect on my life’s journey, work-life balance has been a journey of discovery - discovery of who I am, what and who are important in my life, what I want in this world, among others. However, since the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, it’s taken on a whole new meaning for me.

What the pandemic taught me is that life is short and not to be taken for granted. I think that we may become bitter and develop a chip on our shoulder if we don’t lighten up and take time to enjoy the journey. I remember reading in one of Joyce Meyer’s devotionals on It’s OK To Enjoy Your Life, when she says that “Enjoyment is the fuel that we need to reach the finish line of an endeavor with a good attitude.” I love that!

As I began pondering the subject of work-life harmony, I began thinking of how each of us approach this topic vastly different, depending on our background, culture, experience, age, etc. I have noticed and have found the differences between the various generations intriguing regarding this topic. I am a Gen-Xer, and I view work as a means to reaching my personal and financial goals. However, in the past, I think I was more of a traditionalist - Super loyal to my employer (Of course I’m still loyal, LOL) and willing to work crazy hours, not prioritizing my needs. I contribute this mostly to my Wisconsin Heritage, as we Cheeseheads are recognized for our strong work ethics (Or Midwestern work ethic). Interestingly, the WI work ethic is often attributed to our agricultural roots. In the olden days (LOL!), farmers would often help each other without expecting payment. 

As a sidenote, most people when they find out that I’m from Wisconsin immediately think that I grew up on a farm. And, no, I’ve never had the privilege of milking a cow either! I’m not sure why they think that, but maybe it is because WI is known as a farming state. It also may be because on the Wisconsin State Quarter, has a cow, a wheel of cheese and an ear of corn on the back of it. 

Another assumption or stereotype of Wisconsinites and in certain circles, is that we engage in inbreeding, as we are a tight knit group. Not true, even though I grew up in a very rural area of northern Wisconsin! In fact, my town, was and is still unincorporated. My grandma had 13 brothers and sisters, and as such, I have a lot of cousins. Given this, I’ve had people ask me if cousins marry other cousins, and my response has always been "No, this has not happened in my family!"

However, did you know that there is a list of the most inbred states for 2024? I only know this because I was doing a little research about this topic and found out that inbreeding is more common in the southeast region of the U.S. When I got married, a friend of ours put together a surprise video of both my husband and I growing up, as young kids and up to the current day. Since it was a surprise, he went on the hunt to find my parents, and, as you can imagine, he had to go through a long list of family names to get to my family. 

Finally, a few other things I’ve learned in this rat race we call life, is that:

• As much as possible, I try to live out what the Bible says in Colossians, chapter 3, verse 23: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” This definitely takes the pressure off of what people think of me. And, if I work unto the Lord, then He will help me with the rest of it. 

• I have found balance by working smart, learning to reward myself and enjoy life.