Ep. #17- Austin Walper

There was a short phrase Austin mentioned in our interview that I’ve been stuck on since. It’s a simple tweak on an already overused term. I’m sure by now, everybody has heard of, or even wished for more "work-life balance.” I’ve always seen work-life balance as crucial, but also a bit difficult to define, as it kind of insinuates that you don’t enjoy your work and that you need to escape it. "Work-life balance" has been a term i've used in the past as an excuse. Something I tell myself is important so I don't beat myself up when i’m sitting on the couch all day watching Netflix. Work-life balance has to mean something more than just being lazy. 

 

What if you do enjoy your work, and it’s consuming the majority of your time? Is that still work-life balance? As Austin mentions, not if you’re sacrificing your health. Sometimes when you’re growing a company, or working hard to achieve a goal, "work-life balance" is unrealistic, and it may be worth trying to think about it as "WORK-HEALTH balance” instead. 

 

WORK-HEALTH balance can be a much better approach in the long term. It assumes and understands that you’re enjoying what you’re doing, but it also implies that you NEED to carve out time every day to prioritize your health. This way, you’ll be able to sustain the effort and avoid burning out. 

 

It’s okay to get caught up working long and hard in order to bring your dreams into reality. BUT, it’s not okay if in doing so, you lose a grip on your mental and physical health. What would “getting to the top” even mean if you got there without your health?