12 June 2024
The term work-life balance implies that you should balance the two separate areas of work and life against each other. This means that work and life are opposites. I personally allow myself to reject the idea of work and life as antagonisms… and in doing so gain infinite freedom.
I allow myself to see work as part of my life. Not only that, for me it is even an important part of life. It stands for social participation and societal as well as cultural interaction and integration. During my work I exchange ideas, work on problems together with colleagues, experience success and frustration, support and create, get annoyed, find inspiration and get to know wonderful people (okay, there are others too). I usually enjoy getting up in the morning and look forward to the new day. There were times when I was almost ashamed of seeing work as something positive. But in fact it is. And I do manage to go to the gym in the evening or before work. Not as often as I would like, but that is more down to my inner laziness.
The advantage is that I live all day and I can be ME all day. And that with all my quirks, edges, strengths and weaknesses. I hope that no one will say about me “but in private Frank Wiekhorst is completely different”. For me that would be like a diagnosis of split consciousness or schizophrenia, which is probably the technical term. I have a life and I want to live this life as a whole and not in segments. It may be that psychologists assign me different roles in different situations. I allow myself not to split myself into consultant Frank, father Frank, husband Frank, leisure Frank and so on. I am simply Frank Wiekhorst. Always!
I admit that I am a little amused by all those who now organize their free time as a balance to their working life. Obviously it is pure stress. The trend towards self-optimization and life hacks is particularly entertaining. A cold shower in the morning, a short yoga session, an organic breakfast, a little content for social media and listening to an audio book on the subject of “mindfulness” on the way to work. In the evening, go to the gym, use a meditation app and maybe even an hour of “forest bathing”. Those who can afford it invest in a life coach and start the transformation to their true self.
Instead of just letting go, many feel obliged to use their free time as effectively as possible and to pursue personal goals. It’s no wonder that this constant pressure leads to a feeling of inadequacy. The concept explodes when your own children appear on the scene. Useful leisure time can also be sitting on the couch at home, nibbling on a bag of greasy chips and spending hours analyzing the patterns on the woodchip wallpaper.
My recommendation: Have fun in your whole life. Not every job is a dream job. I know that only too well. But if all your colleagues get on your nerves, you can’t laugh at work, you have to drag yourself out of bed every morning, then even the best work-life balance won’t help. Find something you enjoy doing, where you can look forward to being with other people. If you only live for your free time and want to fulfill the supposed expectations of a society geared towards social media, then frustration is inevitable.