It’s 11:00AM on a Monday morning and the sun is out in Kendall Square. Soft shade from an old tree engulfs my lawn chair as the angelic voice of Norah Jones serenades me through headphones. A yummy latte from Area Four dances on my tongue. My Apple Pencil graces my hand as I doodle and write these very words on my iPad. All is well. Life is good.
It’s 11:00AM on a Monday morning and my hair is still wet, because I only showered half an hour ago. I only showered half an hour ago because I didn’t get out of bed until 9:45 this morning. Why? Because I felt like it. But wait … it’s 11:00AM on a Monday morning. Doesn’t corporate America define this as crunch time? Shouldn’t I be at my desk right now, cranking out emails and running from one meeting to the next while scrambling to find that dial-in number and respond to the next 43,621 emails?
The nerve I must have to be sitting outside on a Monday morning while everyone else is at their desk — and the gall to write a public post about it. <insert shocked-face emoji>
But here I am. Sitting in the park for all to see. Enjoying a moment to myself to inhale some fresh o2 and observe the people and creatures around me. I’m not asking for permission. I’m just here. And to me, this is work-life-balance. This is healthy. This is productive.
Caveat: I am super fortunate to work for a great company who affords their employees the invaluable luxury of flexibility. There are no hours tracked and no set vacation days; nor am I micromanaged. Maybe that’s not for everyone, but it is perfect for me — someone who thrives on being able to step away and be inspired by something other than their desk in the middle of the day. Someone who reaches their intellectual pique late at night instead of early in the morning. Someone who can’t necessarily turn their brain off on the weekends.
It’s 11:00AM on a Monday morning and I haven’t seen my desk yet. I know — crazytown. Wait though, it gets worse. At 11:00PM yesterday, I was doing WORK. On a SUNDAY. Sunday’s are supposed to be off-limits, aren’t they?? What is wrong with me? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. This is just the model that works for me. An integrated system where work and life coexist seamlessly.
I get my shit done, and I do great work. Nobody questions my work ethic. I’m there for my team, they are there for me — and together we accomplish amazing things. It isn’t uncommon for me to be sending emails at strange hours during the middle of any given night. But then I might sleep in and make up for it. If I don’t have a meeting until 10:00AM, chances are pretty good that I’m not going to look alive before 9:50AM. I am back online after dinner almost every night in some form — even if I’m just checking emails on my phone — but that is my choice. I’ve been known to pull my fair share of crazy back-to-back 16+ hour days in a row. But then I might disappear for a while. I might take a Friday off then hop back online on Saturday. I might be out at a restaurant with friends and suddenly pause to write down a cool idea or sketch something on my napkin. That’s sort of just the nature of creative work. When I get in the groove with something and am having fun, it can be hard to stop. When I hit a creative block, it can take me a while to get going again. Things ebb and flow, and that’s perfectly okay. I leave the office. I go outside. I am inspired. I find my own kind of balance.
It works for me, and that’s what counts. Some people come in at 7:00AM sharp every day, and that works for them. Some work remotely; some work in shifts; some work in the kitchen; some stay at their desk; some make dinnertime and weekends off-limits; some don’t. The point is that “work-life balance” doesn’t come in a one-size-fits-all box. It means something different to each of us. I’d even dare to call it “work-life integration” instead of “balance”. I don’t feel the need to separate my work from my life. I just don’t. That’s not how my design process works.
We are our most productive selves when we can blend work and life in whatever customized and unique way works for us as individuals. Sure, I’m all for teamwork (go team!), and this isn’t to say that I’m not a team player. When my team needs me, I am there. 110%.
It makes me happy to see more and more pockets of corporate America embracing this. I won't work for a company if they aren’t able to offer this level of flexibility. Being physically present at a desk ≠ productivity. For me, productivity can occur anywhere. Sometimes I am my most productive when sitting at home on the couch in my pajamas with some music playing and an Allagash White in my hand.
It’s 11:30AM on a Monday morning. Time to head to the office. Do I know how the day is going to shape up? No. Will I be at my desk at 5:00PM? I have no idea. Maybe I’ll be back here under this very same tree. Or maybe I’ll be in the office well past dinnertime. I don’t know yet. And I’m okay with that.
Balance.
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