Work-Life Balance#
TODO: rewrite
I am not a fan of the term “work-life balance”. The term connotes these separate spheres of the workplace and the home. But work and life are not separate. When you commute home from work, you do not forget your struggles at work. When you are at work, you remain a partner, a child, a friend, a citizen, a human being.
Figure 1. On the left is a more accurate depiction of the relationship between the work and non-work domains than the fully segmented model on the left.
There is just one life of which work is one part. Therefore, your career should serve your overarching life goals. Never cannabilize your life for work. Work is too big a thing to not take seriously, but it is too small a thing to take too seriously.
Health#
A better term than work life balance is “work-life interface”. If you are not well–physically, mentally, or spiritually, it will affect your performance. There are 4 pillars of heath.
Given the amount of time you will spend in front of your compute, I recommend investing in a good ergonomic chair, desk, and peripherals. Even with an ergonomic chair, sitting for 8 hours straight is still unhealthy. Get out of those chairs and desks to move around no less than once per hour.
Take breaks during the day. They enhance well being and productivity. For the same reason, you should use all the vacation days you are given.[1] Avoid concentrating all time off into one long vacation. Research has found vacation duration to be weakly associated with health and wellness changes. Space your vacations throughout the year[2].
Happiness#
Work-life interface means that just as the rest of life affects work, work affects life. Consider happiness. For most people, happiness is a goal of life. Even if happiness is not a life goal, maintaining good spirits is essential to sustaining the effort required to achieve other life goals. Research of workers around the world has found a positive correlation between job statisfaction and life satisfaction.
However, the key to happiness (and the 4th pillar of health) lies outside of work in relationships. Anecdotal and scientific evidence has shown that the quality of your relationships is the most important factor in your happiness. Sacrificing your relationships upon the altar of work is not a favorable exachange. Is it worth it to work 60+ hours per week if you miss outings, birthdays, holidays, and all the other moments of life? Is that promotion worth losing your friends or your family?
See also
Further reading: TheAtlantic’s HOW TO BUILD A LIFE Column