Let’s Chat: Wonder woman – I wonder where all my time goes

By Linda Tooth on July 24, 2024.

We often hear about work-life balance and how we must maintain it to live a productive and healthy life. Balance implies equal weight distribution and I do not believe a work-life balance belief system works.

According to Statistics Canada, nearly 1.1 million Canadians held at least two jobs in 2022. Of the sectors represented, 211,800 or 19.6% of Canadians work in the health care and social service industries.

How can these people have a work-life balance when there are only 24 hours in a day?

We all have family and friend commitments and must find time to sleep and eat. This cannot possibly be balanced out when a large majority of us are working two jobs to make ends meet.

What we need to find is work-life harmony. This concept is relatively new and I was first exposed to it when I was talking to a licensed social worker who has been in human services for over 30 years. Rebecca believes that balance, or the equal weight distribution of all our commitments, is not achievable.

We must find harmony. How do we do that?

In researching this topic, I have found that we must find an interface or connection between our work life and our personal life. The fact that we work and have commitments is a given, so how can we create a harmonious environment where we do not feel pulled in so many different directions that we could simply explode if one more thing gets added to our list?

Believe me when I tell you that I am so invested in this concept that I have had to re-evaluate everything I do and I have come to the realization that I am not Wonder Woman (though I would like an invisible plane) and I have had to give up a few things.

Some of the suggestions from Dr. Patti Fletcher, a best-selling author, include looking short term rather than long term on things that need to get done. As our energy is what keeps us going we must realize that not everything is our problem to solve.

For people like me (older sibling, independent woman) that is hard to let go of. I have noticed with myself that health is very important and if we take on too much our physical and mental health will suffer.

Next up from Fletcher is to give ourselves a break. Get up from your desk and walk around. This will help clear our minds and give us a bit of exercise during our hectic days of trying to save the world. I do this continuously throughout my work week.

I work on the third floor and am always going down to the first and second floors via the stairs.

Lastly is the idea that nobody gets to the finish line alone. You must surround yourself with individuals who are like-minded and have the same work ethics as you have, and let those people help.

That is probably the most challenging of all suggestions made by Fletcher. The idea of asking for help when it is needed.

Mahatma Gandhi said it best, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”