Inspirational writer and speaker Simon Sinek said he is uncomfortable with the notion that work-life balance can be achieved through two opposing forces and questions why work and life should conflict.
He believes it is possible to build a life where work and private life are both interchangeable and seamless.
In other words, it is possible to build a life where the balance is not necessarily determined by the time of day but rather by where people want to put their energy.
He gave the example that it’s four o’clock in the afternoon, which is technically part of the working day, and if someone wants to go for a run, it’s important to have the opportunity to do so because it’s important for the body and the soul.
He pointed out that he had what he called “duvet days” in his previous job. This meant they had five days a year where if they woke up in the morning and didn’t want to go to work, they would phone and leave a message saying, “I’m taking a day off”, which was perfectly fine.
Sinek pointed out that people do this anyway; it’s called 24-hour bugging (editor’s note: lying about being sick for 24 hours).
He believes that the smoother we can make work in life, the more we start to enjoy both because work and life are not contradictory.
