Talking Stick - September/October 2015 - 35

Balance in math means that each side
of the equation is equal. But the work/
life equation is more complex than
that. First of all, there are likely to be
several factors in the life portion. Let's
call x the personal variable: eating well,
exercise, hobbies, things we want to
do for us. Then there is the y variable:
your significant other. Then there's
the k variable: could be kids, other
family, or maybe friends. And last, let's
throw in the s variable: community
involvement, church, or service -
things we like to do to help us have a
fulfilling life. Now I'd be willing to bet
we could add a few more variables if
we wanted to, but let's agree that these

the clock, most hours in a day are not
spent at work. If work occupies less
than half the hours in a day, what are
you balancing?
Why do we need a new model?
First of all, it is tiring to hear people
talk on and on about work/life balance.
It has become such a popular topic,
and yet the more I heard people talk
about it the more I realized it was not
achievable. I have never heard people
gathered around a conference table
say, "Wow, my work/life balance has
been great for years now." Every single
time I heard about balance it was
because people were trying to figure

adjust or just accept that the blend is
a bit different. Unlike balance, there
are no dire consequences to a bad
blend. There is no need to fear falling
because your balance is off. Finally,
the blend immediately recognizes all
the parts of your life and the role that
each part plays in a good blend. Work
is not the thing needing to be offset
or compensated for, as it is in the
balance model. Work now becomes
an important ingredient in the blend.
This is a key difference, not just in
how to create the right blend, but in
the way we think about work. Imagine
how positively we could think about
our work if we really valued it as being

IMAGINE HOW POSITIVELY WE COULD THINK ABOUT OUR WORK IF WE
REALLY VALUED IT AS BEING AS IMPORTANT TO OUR BLEND AS ALL THE
OTHER PARTS OF OUR LIVES.
are some basics. So now back to the
equation. Work (w) = x + y + k + s. If
you subscribe to a work/life balance
model, you will be trying to solve this
equation. The problem is that there
is no solution, and if you look at the
premise of the equation the life side
is likely always greater than the work
side. But when people talk about
balance, no one is adding to the work
side of the equation.
Still not sure? Consider the clock.
There are 24 hours in a day, and a
typical work day is eight hours. A
healthy adult should probably get
seven hours of sleep each night. We
eat meals, commute to work, have
household chores and errands to run.
How often do you get into bed and say,
"Where did that day go, and how did I
run out of time for the things I needed
or wanted to do?" Well, it's really not
a hard question to answer - our days
are filled with all that life holds for us,
and work is part of it, but if we look at

out how to achieve it, or they were
asking their department to support
their attempts to do so. Second,
we need a new model because it is
possible to be happy and have good
things happening in all aspects of our
lives. It takes effort, it takes patience
and persistence, but it is achievable.
And I believe there is a better way to
do it.
The work/life blend is a model that
recognizes and validates that our work
and our life are intertwined. Trying
to balance the two, or to put work on
one side of a ledger and life on the
other side, is simply not reality. Work
is part of our life, not something to
be balanced with our life. The blend
is a model that recognizes that there
is some art to mixing work with other
parts of life, and vice versa. Some days
the blend is a tad bitter, other days
it is perfect. But the blend is always
changing, and that's okay. When we
recognize that the blend is off, we can

as important to our blend as all the
other parts of our lives.
The life side of the blend model
can be separated into five major
components: (1) the basics - sleep,
meals, errands essential to getting
through each week; (2) relationship
with a significant other; (3)
relationships with family and friends;
(4) work/career; and (5) activities that
support wellness - exercise, learning,
relaxing, resting, etc. In the work/life
blend model, these components need
to be combined in an effective way.
There is not one formula for
everyone. There are ways to be a better
blender, but each person will need
to experiment to find the blend that
most effectively leads to his or her
happiness. The following guidelines
can help: (1) Love what you do. There
will be bad days in a career, but if you
are not genuinely happy to get up and
go to work each day you need to think
long and hard about finding a new

Student Behavior
Formulate codes, policies, and regulations to ensure a safe
and effective living and learning environment for occupants.

SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER 2015

35
Talking Stick - September/October 2015

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