A Light Bulb Moment: Achieving Work/Life Balance

For most of history, daily working hours were limited by the sun to an average of 12, which meant that people would spend the remainder of their hours in their homes with their families, socializing, or sleeping.

And then came electricity, and with it, the seemingly innocent and innocuous light bulb; an object that few would consider being the culprit of many modern struggles. With electric light, factories could operate 24 hours a day.

As darkness was no longer an excuse, employers demanded more and more of their employees’ time Working hours grew long and family and social interaction suffered. Workers would often suffer exhaustion, ill-health or even premature death from overwork.
In more recent times, working conditions have generally improved throughout much of the industrialized world. Modern automation and robotics have revolutionized manufacturing. Many jobs have moved from the factory floor to the office tower.

Yet, with all the changes to the modern workplace, many still struggle to achieve a balance between time spent at work and personal time. In addition to 24 hour light, the advent of 24 hour instant communication has led many workers to feel obligated to take work-related calls and emails after hours or while on holiday.

In our current situation, working from home has added an additional layer of complication for balancing work time and personal time for millions of people.

Comment below how to let us know how you are finding balance in your life.