Work life balance, really?

It should be the one thing that every modern day worker aspires to master. The art of having it and doing it all, as amazing as that sounds it isn’t easy to get at all.

I find that I am often stuck trying to work out a routine and fighting to stick with it. I never actually end up executing anything because most of the time Is spent on trying to work out what the balance is instead of actually doing the work.

In between being caught up with a lot of deadlines, a social life and having to maintain a home. I feel like the modern day worker doesn’t have enough time to balance out everything as they have their hands full trying to please and make everyone happy.

While we are out in the world trying to chase our dreams there’s a family at home waiting to be fed, to be clothed, to be nurtured, to be cared for and to be given attention. It is almost an impossible task to have time for each and every one of the things that I’ve just mentioned. But a girl can only dream right?

As a full time 8 to 5 work life kind of girl who has a lot of hobbies and commitments. I struggle to juggle these, because the thought of it all usually makes me more anxious and I end up losing momentum of what I actually wanted to do. I think I also find myself always tired and feeling sluggish, from trying to carry the rest of the world on my shoulders.

I know people like me who look like they have everything under control and that they have figured it all out, however in reality the battle it’s far from being won. I’ve had people tell me to plan my days, have a To Do List and make time for everything in my life and that it would work out just perfectly.

Have you ever tried to organize a day that is filled with so much uncertainty and needs you to be flexible. Where anything can change at any given time and it is not within your control? I guess not because that is why you’d think a planner would work. I spent half of my day running around like a madwoman and the other half trying to catch my breath from the previous running, as if things are not bad enough. I’m expected to have a social life. Who came up with that?

So I have to interact with clients for 8 hours of my day and still be expected to catch up on the latest gossip? At what point is it enough? I’m starting to believe that this whole work life balance thing is a myth.

By show of hands how many of us have successfully managed to meet all of our deadlines, spend enough time with family, entertain our friends, take some time out for a holiday or a vacation all spent some time doing some self-care successfully in the past year? without feeling burnt out or as if they have over extended themselves.

Now with that being said, it is safe to say all that glitters is not gold. The idea of having the perfect work life balance is an amazing one, however, if we are looking at it rationally it is not easy to achieve, if achievable at all.

Not to say I haven’t tried and I will not continue to work out a way to finally be able to juggle every little bit of my life and still maintain my peace of mind. Well done to all of you that have figured it all out and it is working for you. You are the best of us, to my fellow procrastinators and over thinkers the battle is far from being over we can do this. Most of us are hanging by the thread and are somewhat losing our minds trying to be on top of the joy of being an adult but there is a light at the end of the tunnel as they always say. I think the best way around this is to take it easy. Take it at your own pace, in your own lane and just do what you can with what you have and hope that everything works out by itself.

Try to figure out what work life balance looks like for you, what it actually means, what it entails and how you choose to execute it, it’s entirely up to you because all our lives are different. There is no correct way or guidelines set out in stone that tells what the life of an average working person needs to be like.

With the year just starting off and the pressure of having New Year’s resolutions, let us not find ourselves caught biting more than what we can chew. Although you would want to have everything all figured out it is best you do not miss out on the little moments that matter instead of losing our minds trying to do everything all at once.

So I say to you, what is important is that you are making it through life each day and you have never given. Bravo! for making it this far and for having a way of life that works for you.

My conclusion is not whether work life balance really exists or not, but it is that we all need to start living in a way that really fulfills us regardless of what the world would want that to look like.

Written by Sarah Banda

Blogger @Poemstellium

Instagram @sarah.banda_

Twitter @iam_sarahb_