Got Balance - Part 1

It seems this idea of having balance in life goes in and out of trend as often as we have new “American Idols”.  Fast Company has been talking about balance in various forms for almost ten years.  Here’s a simple chronology¹:

• 1997 -  it was about keeping everything going, the article was “Life is a Juggling Act”

• 1998 -  simplify is the new trend, the article was “Keep it Simple”

• 1999 -  forget simplify and use work/life balance as a recruitment tool, the article titled “The Way to Enough”

• 2000 - balance was called into question with “A Living or a Life?” and “You can do anything – but not everything”

• 2001 – continuing with the trend from 2000 was the article “Slack Off” which emphasized downtime

• 2002 & 2003 – balance went out of fashion

• 2004 - balance or rather a good questioning of what balance really is has come back with the article, “Balance is Bunk”.

Apart from magazine articles, balance has been a popular topic of discussion: in books, for organizations trying to understand employee satisfaction, at conferences, and in the news.  I feel compelled to add in my thoughts on the subject.  I’ve come to think the word “balance” is overused and not well-defined.  I don’t know that we’re all talking about the same thing.  Your definition of a balanced life may be someone else’s definition of chaos.

Here is a part of the Merriam-Webster Online definition for “balance”:

• Stability produced by even distribution of weight on each side of the vertical axis

• Equality between the totals of the two sides of an account

• Equipoise between contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements

• An aesthetically pleasing integration of elements

• Mental and emotional steadiness

I want to focus on a few parts of this definition.  First let’s look at the phrases: “contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements” and “integration of elements.”  These suggest that there are multiple things to balance that may not always be in perfect harmony. The pieces that need to be balanced may be complete opposites and yet you have to find a way to integrate them into your life to be balanced.  When you have found the mixture that allows for all of the elements in your life to be integrated you will have “steadiness, stability, and equipoise.”  When the pieces of your life, or interacting elements, are not integrated well you will not have stability.  For example, Tom was exercising 3-4 times a week for the past 6 months.  It all came to an end when he took the lead on pitching a new piece of business.  He left no time to exercise.  Tom didn’t notice the first week, but after the second week his body ached a little. After three weeks of not exercising he felt tired and sluggish.  Tom was less productive at this time when high productivity was crucial. When Tom used to exercise regularly he had more energy and felt better.  Tom no longer felt like his life was in balance. 

I want to clarify the phrase: “by even distribution of weight on each side.”  This assumes we are talking about something that is two-dimensional.  If I took this literally, the article might have been titled: “Got Work/Life Balance?” acknowledging the two-dimensional aspect, but as human beings with multi-faceted lives we must look at balance in a multi-faceted way.  Balance changes for each of us from day-to-day; week-to-week; and so on.  Your definition of balance must move with your movements lest you become unstable. 

When I help my clients assess if their life is in balance, I ask them to look at every aspect of their life.  Here is a quick way to do a self-assessment.  The ten areas below generally represent all aspects of life.  If I am the hub of a wheel, these are my spokes.  If you are a visual learner, you may want to draw this as a wheel.  Put “me” in the center and from the center draw ten spokes to make your wheel.  Next to each spoke indicate your satisfaction level with where you are presently on a scale of 1 (not satisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied).

Ä      _____  Health/Body

Ä      _____  Fitness

Ä      _____  Profession/Career/Business

Ä      _____  Money/Financials

Ä      _____  Friends/Family

Ä      _____  Significant Other/Romance

Ä      _____  Physical Environment

Ä      _____  Fun/Recreation

Ä      _____  Personal Growth

Ä      _____  Spirituality

This is an opportunity for you to recognize where you may be out of balance and make adjustments.  We may all have different numbers on each spoke depending on what balance means to us.  It may also be that you have a short period of time where you do not feel as balanced.  By actively assessing where you are, you can put those short periods of imbalance into perspective.  It’s when we don’t pay attention to what balance means to us that we find ourselves constantly out of balance with no end in sight.

What does balance means to you?  Is it a 10 on every spoke of the wheel?  Do you feel your life is balanced today?  If not, what needs to shift in order for you to find balance?  If so, what do you need to pay attention to in order to maintain balance?

If you would like to learn some tips and techniques on how to create balance in your life, read next month’s issue of The Effect.

¹Fast Company references include issues 11, 15, 26, 31, 34, 49, and 87 respectfully.