Avoid telling yourself these lies about perfect work life balance

Having a perfect work-life balance is not all about compartmentalizing your work and life balance. After all, your work is a part of your life and no matter how much you move up the ladder it always remains an issue. Everyone struggles with finding the right balance and nobody has it figured out. Most people have ideal conceptions of the balanced life and when that does not happen, they end up feeling dissatisfied. Let me get my pin and burst the bubble for you. There are some myths around the perfect work-life balance that you should avoid.

(Suggested Read: Is your work affecting personal life?)

Here are some of the most common misconceptions around perfect work life balance:

Myth #1: That perfect compartmentalization of work and life is possible.

Wouldn’t it be ideal if that happened? But it doesn’t. You need to make peace with the fact that there would be some sort of a spillover effect and why wouldn’t it? You have a project that needs your immediate attention and might have to go out of the station. That would mean you would have to skip your Zumba classes. Or that you are tired from pulling an all-nighter at a family function, of course, that would affect your productivity the next day. So, it is just easier to swallow the pill and accept the fact that there can never be perfect compartmentalization of your work and personal life.

(Suggested read: Impact of Work-Life Balance on Employee Performance)

Myth #2: Your happiness depends on the amount of time you spend on your work

Work is work. Agreed but let me remind you that there are just as many happy people in a job that requires often overnight stays as there are people who are working their fixed 8 hours amount of work. So, it is basically all about how you strategize your time management.

Myth #3: This only happens to you

No, that’s the biggest myth there must be. Like I mentioned earlier, the lack of a perfect work-life balance is not something that only you are suffering from. You need to keep making changes to your routine until you find something that sticks with you and works in improving your work-life balance. You have to customize all the tips and advice that you can get to manage your time.

(Suggested Read: How to feel more inspired at work?)

Myth #4: Whatever works for you might not work for your co-worker

Stop nagging your co-worker about the perfect work-life balance. It so happens that you are at different levels in your career and life and your goals might differ from each other. A single man would not find the sage advice of a married man with two kids who need to attend their schools’ annual functions very helpful in balancing his work and personal life. His idea of a perfect work-life balance is not something that he can inculcate in his life. Stop listening to this unsolicited advice and find your perfect work-life balance.

(Suggested Read: Changing Your attitude for better Work-Life balance)

At the end of the day, it is about creating an equilibrium with your work and find the best of both worlds. So, take a deep breath and achieve your professional goals in a way that does not hamper your personal life.

Feel free to reach out to us for any guidance in your oil and gas career. Explore our Career Help section for more insights.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Energy Dais.)