Should you be working on vacation?
It’s a world where the borders of everything are getting more porous and harder to defend. Here are two questions that nag away at anyone with a job…
Where does ‘work’ stop and ‘life’ begin?
When are you ‘on’ and when are you ‘off’
(Just to make the point, I’m writing this blog post while sitting in a cafe in Covent Garden. On a Sunday. Is this then work? Or is this play? Or is this just life?).
A recent post on the Brazen Careerist has got my mulling over this again. (For anyone who’s working, particularly anyone who is/involved with/managing Gen Y, this is a terrific resource).
Here’s the piece that stood out for me:
I have allowed work to completely, totally, consume my life, and I couldn’t be happier. After years of discussing what work life balance really means I’ve realized that to me, at this point in time, working on vacation is my perfect work/life balance.
What do you think?
- Why working isn’t working – Jonathan Fields & Tony Schwartz
- Spring Clean Your Working Life
- Here’s the fate of that report you’re working on…
Work starts when I power on my “work only” computer and stops when I shut it down.
I have purposely chosen work that does not consume me because I have other responsibilities that I am not sure I want to outsource yet
Its really easy to find work – and the response to one’s work – more validating than other parts of my life. And therefore to keep doing more and more of it. Its so accepted to say “sorry, I have to work….” or “its a business trip”… or “I have a large project to deliver”… But when you say – I’ll be seeing friends, or travelling or kicking back and reading – well, that feels like shirking. My self-work has been to allow non-work things to be AS important as work. Without feeling guilty, or as if I were shirking, or somehow lesser to work. And, to get bosses to see that too!
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Using work/life BALANCE implies weighting, measurement, calculation. Is it too much, not enough, more, less?
I prefer to use work/life HARMONY. Then it invites words like melodious, accord, tune in….(add yours…). Which gives better direction for thinking: major or minor, what rythm, which instruments, alegro, andante?
That moves attention from: right or wrong? to interesting?
Eduard – Karen’s note has prompted me to also acknowledge your great comment – thanks!
Thank you for sharing that brilliant ‘shift of focus’, Eduard!
‘Harmony’ instead of ‘Balance’: it also doesn’t imply/require/demand an ‘Either/Or’ answer …
For instance:
Maybe your high-schooler can “spell-check” your latest report ~ you get to share some “What do you do for a living, Mom?”; she gets to work on all those Composition points that seem to go unnoticed in school assignments; you maybe get blinding insights on your writing; *and* you get to Work -plus- Have Family Time ~ all in the same couple of hours!
Happy *Next* Spring! and Bright Blessings ~ Karen
Karen – I love it when people read the back posts! Thanks for the comment