Sincerenity

How do you balance work and home life?

The pursuit of work/life balance has been on the forefront of my mind for many years.

Work/life balance looks different for everyone, but here is how it looks for me.

Flexible Location Options

At times, it feels like my life is consumed by work. I felt that way because I have a 40 hour work week, but 50-60 hours of my weeks were dedicated to work. This includes getting ready and commuting to it.

My job required me to be in office 5 days a week for a 9 hour shift. I commuted a total of 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours to and from work combined each day (depending on traffic). I felt like all I did was work because that’s all I did. It consumed most of my time. I saw my coworkers more than I saw my husband, and I hated that.

It started to really get to me. My job wasn’t awful, but the time it consumed was. So, it was time to start searching for a solution. My solution was that I needed a remote job, or at least hybrid.

So the job hunt began. It’s no secret to anyone that job hunting is awful. I searched for a whole year and applied for probably over 100 hybrid/remote jobs, both externally at other companies and internally at my company.

I usually got no response. Or the amazing copy and paste email: “Thank you for taking the time to apply. After carefully reviewing your resume, we have made the difficult decision to pursue other candidates…” Blah blah blah whatever.

I did want to stay with my company. I had been there for 6 years, made good connections, had a good reputation, and knew the way the company functioned inside and out. But it wasn’t providing me the lifestyle I wanted. I was spending at least 6-8 hours a week (an extra shift’s worth of time) just driving to work. Where I would sit. For 9 hours. I was driving to sit at a computer. That was so bizarre to me.

(Disclaimer: I was not ungrateful for my job. I wanted a job that was a better fit for the lifestyle I wanted)

I even asked my manager if my position could be hybrid (in my opinion it definitely could have been), but he kept saying no.

So I kept looking. Then, an internal position opened. It was hybrid. It would be a promotion. It would be an amazing step in my career. It was perfect. The interview was amazing and went super well. I felt good about it.

Then, I got the call. “Thank you for the interview. I did end up going with another applicant because I spoke to your current manager and he told me you would struggle in a hybrid position.”

Are… You… Kidding!?!?

In an instant, I had lost respect for my manager and lost my desire to stay at the company. I talked to my manager about this situation. We had a good, professional conversation, but I do believe he had personal motives to not have to need to go through the interviewing and hiring process and replace me, and he also had incorrect information from assumptions he had made about me from years ago. I was not happy.

So I kept looking. My friend had recently gotten a new job at a company similar to mine, and she was able to work from home 3 days a week. She referred me, they asked for an interview, it went great, they offered me the job, and I accepted!

After a year of intense, constant job searching and applying, after hundreds of applications and countless rejections, it finally happened. I finally had a hybrid job.

I happily submitted my two weeks and was so eager to begin. I was leaving behind 6 years of work at that company and going into something new. I was leaving a place where I was the expert and was now going to be a beginner again, but it was worth it to me. To me, having flexible options was going to very much improve my work/life balance.

I left something good for something better.

If only my previous manager could see me now. I’m not struggling in a hybrid position. In fact, I’m thriving. I am exercising more than ever, eating better, learning so much at my new job, I feel more in control over my life, and I’m happier.

My Work Doesn’t Consume Me

Currently for me, work is a necessary part of life. Work is a means to an end, not my life.

My work day begins when I clock in and it ends when I clock out. I don’t do any work if I’m not clocked in. There is a time and place for work, and a time and place for my personal life.

I don’t even check an email if I’m not clocked in. For me, work life and personal life needs to be kept separate.

I have never been a workaholic, and I personally don’t understand that mindset. For some people, that works for them, and that’s great for them. It’s not wrong, it’s just not for me.

Like I said earlier, work is a means to an end. I work so I can live, I don’t live to work.

I put in effort when I’m at work. I do my tasks, I learn what I can, I try to be a little bit better every day. It leaves me feeling like I did a good honest day of work at the end of the day. I don’t overwork myself or stress myself out. Stress is a natural part of life, but if I’m too stressed or stressed to frequently, I know something needs to change. I need to learn how to do a task easier, I need to make a suggestion on the schedule, I need to make some kind of adjustment so I’m not so stressed.

Doing Things in my Free Time

I used to come home from work, eat something, and then go to bed. Then wake up and go to work. Repeat. So all I was literally doing was working.

Now, I try to do more in my free time. Hang out with a friend, bake something, go on a walk, watch a movie, play a game, write, clean, go through some of my stuff, go shopping, etc. It definitely helps me feel like I’m doing more than working. It helps me feel like I’m living a little bit more.

Work/Life Balance is Unique

Work/life balance looks different for everyone. For me, balancing work and home life looks like having flexible work location options, not letting it consume me, and doing fun things outside of work.

---