I recently read an article about a concept called blurring & bending. It caught my eye because it goes against conventional thinking about separating work and life.
The author of the New York Times article, Marci Alboher, talks about "blurring," the constant mixing of work and non-work activities. She does point out, however, that...
"Whether you see yourself as a workaholic or as someone who merely blurs the line between work and play has lot to do with whether you like your work."
She also quotes Ryan Healy, in his blog, Brazen Careerist:
"This whole notion of needing to separate work and life implies that your career, which takes up about 75 percent of your day, is something you simply try to get through so you can go home and do what you really enjoy for the other 25 percent. What a terrible way to live."
The final quote by Alboher is also interesting:
"I am not yet convinced that loosening boundaries is the answer for everyone. But if you chronically blur the lines between work and life, it is wise to find work you love — or at least enjoy enough to welcome it following you home occasionally."
I would change the underlined phrase in the above quote to say it's wise to "discover the work to which you are called". And even when you do discover that work, there will still be the need for some type of boundary between the burdens you carry on behalf of others and the life you live yourself.
I think I like the concept of blurring and bending. It rounds out my thinking about life balance a bit. I think it's unrealistic to think there will always be a definite separation between work & non-work. I guess that's why balance is not a destination. It's a process - a way of life.
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