Recently a co-worker threw out the phrase, "Work-Life Integration" as an alternative to work-life balance, it landed. As a working partner, mother, and friend, I often struggle to feel as if I am firing on all cylinders. The thought is constantly living in the back of my mind of the time being robbed from one aspect to give to the other aspect of my life.
Work-Life Balance is the general concept used often to avoid burnout and workaholic tendencies. Does this mean equal priority to work and life? Does this mean flexibility in the day to handle personal tasks while also completing work? Does this mean hard lines and limits to when you have dedicated work vs life time? For me, this is a hard thing to define. It never felt "good" to put these ideas to my day to day. It did feel constrictive. It did feel like another thing to misstep on.
So enter this ever so slightly different concept of work-life Integration. My brain immediately saw a glimmer of hope to truly balance both very important parts of my life. With this slight reframing of my day to day, I have found a more open approach to creating space in my mind and day.
While I am very early in working to apply this to my day, [I mean I spent the past 15 years trying to "balance" something that felt unbalanceable], I am already seeing the benefits. Perspective is everything and my perspective is changing.
How can we apply this concept to our day to day as busy adults wanting to do everything we want and WELL. Here is what I am currently testing:
Time blocking with purpose. Utilizing the power of my calendar to create time blocks for priority tasks. This is something I have always done, but in this new light making this a CORE purpose rather than a point of distraction for other tasks. The goal here is to truly protect this time to create a space of integration.
Planning my days and weeks. Beginning each week with a Weekly Success Session has created a more intentional approach to my week. I spend an hour on Monday mornings clearing clutter from my calendar, reprioritizing tasks, following up on lingering projects, and reassessing my goals for the week both personally and professionally.
Setting myself up for success early with a Weekly Reset at home. I put a large focus on "resetting" on Sundays. The goal is to set my home and space up for less stress and distraction through the week. This can and does include: full home clean, laundry, organization of high traffic areas, grocery shopping, and a bit of self care.
Understanding my peak productivity hours for various tasks. Recently being able to clear clutter from my calendar, I am finding key time periods to focus on different task-types. For example, I find mornings to be productive times for larger project work, while mid-day is filled with quick chats and communication with my team.
Creating transparency with my partners on focused time. By blocking my calendar and entering into more intentional task time, I can relay that focus to my team and peers. This opens up a space where I can focus on that task and then be more present beyond it.
Leaning into technology for both professional and personal organization. This piece is the foundation to help me create this integration both for myself and those I interact with daily.
As I continue to push these new habits, I fully expect to continue to see the benefits I am already feeling.
