What is a Work/Life Balance?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of letting your job define your life. People are working longer hours than ever and allowing their work to come home with them. Finding a work / life balance is difficult.

But, it’s important to prevent your career from defining who you are. Your job shouldn’t be your identity. The line between work life and your personal life can become blurry, or almost non-existent.

Believe it or not, you can create a work/life balance that really works for you and allows you to understand and embrace your true identity.

So, how is that possible if you feel like you’re forced to work all the time? Let’s take a look at some practical ideas on how to create a better work/life balance.

What Does Your Job Mean to You?

A good place to start when you’re trying to find a better balance is to ask yourself what your job really means to you. There are several different ways to answer this.

Maybe you love your job and that’s why it’s so easy for you to be involved with it all the time. If so, you are lucky to be able to get paid to do what you love! But, remember, your job should just be what you do, not who you are. If it interests you, that’s great. But, perhaps it has started to take over too much of your time, energy, and resources. You may need more to really be happy and fulfilled?

On the other hand, if you don’t like your job but feel forced to work all the time, consider stepping back and defining your priorities. If your job fulfills the need for a steady paycheck, but not much else, you have two options – appreciate the job as a means to financial stability and look for greater purpose and meaning outside of work, or consider whether it may be time to make a job change that could be more satisfying.

Redefine Yourself Outside of Work

You can consider volunteer work for a cause you are passionate about, or reconnecting with family and friends that you have grown apart from. You may have been so invested in job and career (understandably), that you may not even be sure what your current hobbies and interests are anymore. Focus on the possibility of picking up prior interests to see if they are still enjoyable, or trying something completely new to see how that feels.

If you meet someone new, they might ask you what you do for a living. Instead of only telling them what you do as a career, list off some things you enjoy. Tell them you’re an avid hiker or nature enthusiast. Or, maybe you like to collect vinyl records or volunteer at your church.

Another way to redefine yourself outside of work is to have relationships and friendships outside of your job. It may be easy to develop friendships with co-workers. This is especially true if you work closely with them each day. However, consider developing strong relationships with people you have other things in common with. These friendships can give you something to look forward to when you’re not working.

Connect Work Life With Your Passions

There’s no reason your job can’t connect with the things you already love to do. If you’re passionate about something, learn more about it and grow in that area. The skills you learn can likely apply to the job you have in some way. For example, your passion for being a volunteer youth leader at your church may give you skills of leadership that help you advance in your job. Or your love of reading can help you stay up to date with new developments in your field.

This can make it more motivating to get out there and try new things. When you learn a new skill and apply it to other areas of your life, it makes you a better worker and a more well-rounded person.

Your job will only define you if you give it the power to do so. It may always be a significant part of who you are, but to find a healthy work/life balance, you have to give yourself reminders to see yourself as having value in addition to your occupation. You can draw from your roles as a parent, partner, friend, community member, etc. Remember that you are in charge of how much power you give your career over your life and identity.

Whether you love your job, or you’re simply forced to work too much, it’s not impossible to define yourself outside of your job. Seek out what is most meaningful to you in your life.