178: How to Succeed at Work/Life Balance (Without Going Crazy)

Imagine life is a game where you are juggling five balls. Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls — family, health, friends, integrity — are made of glass.

~ James Patterson

The first secret to work/life balance is recognizing that it’s not about balance. It is about balancing work and life. What appears to be a state of balance is something entirely different — an act of prioritizing and counterbalancing. (For example, a ballerina appears to be perfectly balanced on her toes, but a closer look reveals her toe shoes vibrating rapidly, making minute adjustments for balance.)

The second secret of work/life balance is recognizing there are two types of balancing: the balancing between work and personal life and the balancing within each.

Think about two balancing buckets. Separate your work life and personal life into two distinct buckets — not to compartmentalize them, just for counterbalancing.

Your work life is divided into two distinct areas — what matters most and everything else. You will have to take what matters to the extremes and be okay with what happens to the rest. Professional success requires it.

Your personal life has multiple areas, and each requires a minimum of attention. Drop any one and you will feel the effects. This requires constant awareness.

An extraordinary life is a counterbalancing act. Let the right things take precedence when they should. Get to the rest when you can.

In this episode, Jesse shares what he’s learned from chapter 8 of the book The ONE Thing and provides examples of applying the lessons.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Book: The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller

Podcast episode 164: The ONE Thing to Do This Week for Extraordinary Results

Podcast episode 165: Using the Domino Effect for Extraordinary Results

Podcast episode 168: Singleness of Purpose

Podcast episode 169: Use a Success List (Instead of a To-do List)

Podcast episode 171: Stop Trying to Multitask — It’s Making You Dumb and Ineffective

Podcast episode 172: Build One Powerful Habit at a Time

Podcast episode 174: Managing Willpower for What Matters Most

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