“I like to call it more of a work-life integration”
A sk any entrepreneur about their work-life balance and I guaran- tee that almost all of them will laugh. Whether their answer is “That doesn’t exist for me” or “I like to call it more of a work-life integration”, entrepre- neurs are starting to realize that the balance needs to be there, but can it really exist simultaneously? There has never been a time when the focus on mental health has been more at the forefront than it is today, and en- trepreneurs know that the threat of burn- out is real. If they are burning the candle at both ends, they will feel the very real effects of their business on their mental health. So then why do so many ignore this and romanticize the idea of over- working themselves into the ground? I’ll admit that there are times I have glamourized burning the midnight oil. I have romanticized the startup grind. I have sometimes made it seem that to be successful you need to work 20 hours a day with no breaks to really soar. But I’ve started to realize that I am doing no one any favours by promot- ing hustle culture over “Turning-off- all-my-devices-and-watching-Netflix- in-bed” days. The truth is that it’s not actually a bal- ancing act. If you’re an entrepreneur, you most likely have the innate need to hustle. The act of hard work comes naturally to you and sometimes work- ing late is something that actually helps you unwind. Working hard will always be hardwired into the most suc- cessful entrepreneurs and showing up, no matter how tired you are, is still ex- tremely important. If Work-Life Balance is like a teeter-tot- ter with work (Hustle) on one seat and life (Rest) on the other, why are we all trying to ensure the teeter-totter doesn’t move and is balanced perfect- ly? Please tell me one time you enjoyed a day at the playground by going on a see-saw and working together, feet on the ground, level with your friend to just be sure that you were balanced and not moving up and down.
ENTREPRENEURIAL LIFESTYLE Work-Life Balance by Shannon Ferguson
That is no fun. And neither is the old idea of Work-Life Balance. The thought that it all has to bal- ance out makes no sense because it never will and if entrepreneurs have this idea that it all has to be the same, at any given moment, well then that will only contribute to more stress down the line. At the end of the day, being an entrepre- neur should still be fun and if it’s not then maybe it’s time to let go of the idea of balance and sit down
on the “Rest” seat of your teeter-totter and let the work stress dangle at the top for a moment. Entrepreneurship should be fun but as any entrepreneur will tell you, it’s less of a balancing act and more of a mer- ry-go-round, where you hold on tight as you get spun around, being sure you’re not letting go at any weak mo- ment. But, if you do find yourself on the Work-Life Balance teeter-totter, why try to balance at all?
108 SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 24 ISSUE 4
SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 24 ISSUE 4 109
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