In an ideal world, humans will simply unplug at the end of their shift. Sadly, we aren’t engineered that way
It’s Friday, and you’re looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. No meetings. No reports. No stress. Until you remember, you have a presentation at 9 a.m. on Monday.
In an ideal world, humans will simply delineate work from personal life, unplug, and forget about all their tasks the minute they end their shift. But humans just aren’t engineered that way.
“What we chew over are the upsetting things, the distressing things, and we do it in ways that are entirely unproductive,” says psychologist Guy Winch.
“It’s the hours we spend obsessing about tasks we didn’t complete, or stewing about tensions with a colleague, or anxiously worrying about the future, or second-guessing decisions we’ve made.”
Is the concept of work/life balance then simply a myth?
For author and businessman Nigel Marsh, it’s about being intentional in the way you design your work/life patterns – and it all comes down to the individual.
READ MORE: How different countries approach work-life balance
“If you don’t design your life, someone else will design it for you, and you may just not like their idea of balance,” Marsh tells his TED Talk audience. “The small things matter. Being more balanced doesn’t mean dramatic upheava in your life.”
It can even come from something as simple as getting enough sleep, says business leader and wellness advocate Arianna Huffington. If we want to become successful, she jokes with her audience: “We are literally going to sleep our way to the top. Literally.”
Here are five TED Talks to help the modern worker achieve a healthy work/life balance:
5. How to turn off work thoughts during your free time – Guy Winch
4. As work gets more complex, 6 rules to simplify – Yves Morieux
3. How to make stress your friend – Kelly McGonigal
2. How to make work-life balance work – Nigel Marsh
1. How to succeed? Get more sleep – Arianna Huffington
