We’ve been talking and thinking about the concept of work/life balance for around a quarter of a century now. The term was first used here in the United States around the mid-1980s when increased stress—due in part to information technology and an increasingly intense, competitive, and global work environment—caused us to analyze the proper balance between “work” (career and ambition) on the one hand and “life” (health, leisure, spiritual development, family, etc.) on the other.

The world has changed much over the last 25 years, and in the generation since, the work/life pendulum has swung from work to life to work and back again. But amid all the shifts, our mindset around work/life balance and the way we approach it—through compartmentalization—has roughly stayed the same.

When you think about it, we’ve created a competition within ourselves—one that pits important parts of our lives against themselves—often creating self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy, and much more. We’ve set ourselves up to compete with ourselves, and this is nothing but a waste of energy.

The 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’re a hostage to and once you get through it you can go home and do what you really enjoy. Given that most of us will spend around 50 years of our lives working, pitting work against life just doesn’t make sense.

So what’s the alternative? I say it’s time to find a new mindset—to move from the idea of work/life balance to the concept of a blended life.

I’m not the first to write about this shift. Rather, I read a reference to this about a year ago and realized that this philosophy reflected my own. Although I had thought about it as flow versus blend, both concepts are essentially the same thing.

So, what would shifting to a blended life actually look like? I’ve conceptualized it in the following four steps.

Step 1: Sit down and figure out what’s most important to you. Ask what aspects of your life you value most. Of course these will evolve over time as your life changes, but for right now, which are most significant?

Examples could include:

• Giving back
• Deep relationships
• Professional growth
• Financial success
• Physical wellness
• Intellectual stimulation
• Spirituality
• Community involvement
• Travel to new places
• Artistic expression

The items you list should be parts of your life where you can spend time and that are meaningful to you. Avoid roles you play (e.g., mother, business owner, etc.), and try not to have too many or too few. Five or six is an ideal number.

Step 2: Once you have these down on paper, list what types of activities you currently do to support each category.

Step 3: Determine the percent of your time that you spend in each category and note it on your list.

Step 4: Look for low points. In which of these areas are you spending the least time? What could you rearrange from another category to even things out a bit more?

Understand that the categories you create are not individual fiefdoms. They should overlap with one another. In fact, the more they overlap, the more parts of yourself you’ll fulfill with any given activity.

This approach has helped me to find my flow. I hope it helps you find yours.

For more information on how FlashPoint can help your organization promote positive flow in your employees’ lives, e-mail us or call us at 317.229.3035.

This FlashPoint publication should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult an attorney on any specific legal questions you may have concerning your situation.