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There is always lots of talk about work-life balance and how to achieve it, but the real truth falls outside most of those discussions.
Jack Welch, renowned former CEO of General Electric, famously stated, “There is no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.”
At the time his critics slammed him and accused him of being detached, but there was deep insight in what he was saying.
As a leadership coach, I often hear from clients asking me about work-life balance and how to make it happen. But trying to create balance simply isn’t working.
Technology means that we’re all available 24/7. And, because everyone demands instant gratification and instant connectivity, there are no boundaries, no breaks, no time for the balance we crave.
But there’s an alternative to the nonstop work cycle. And isn’t found in balance but in integration.
Balance is achieved when things become steady, and we know that life and business are anything but steady–they are in a constant state of motion.
Everything we do, if we want to do it well, is done with an integration of parts that create synergy. So instead of work-life balance, let’s start working toward work-life integration.
Work-life integration starts with analyzing the contradictions. Here are some examples to help you get started in making work-life integration work for you.
Stephanie L. Gross, MSLIS 