Whoever came up with the concept of “work/life balance” clearly has not read Arlie Hochschild’s SECOND SHIFT.
The very notion implies that work isn’t life and that life isn’t work. Both are both.
We spend a great portion of our time at work and so to suggest that it is not life is to suggest that we spend a majority of our time doing something other than living. Likewise, the very idea that life does not include work has never taken care of children, maintained a household, paid bills, ran errands, etc.
For me, work/life balance is about balancing our joys with our obligations and we can find both in our professional and private lives. When we do this, we live our lives wherever we are, whenever we are. Work/life balance is difficult to achieve and hard to maintain. Yet another skill we may feel we are failing at. The joy/obligation balance may come more naturally to the rhythms of life. Incorporating all aspects in our lives shouldn’t be such a struggle and something we have to fight for. Kind of takes the joy out of it, even if you achieve it.
To quote John Lennon, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans."
