Guru mantra on Work-life balance

According to Jana Kingsford, balance is something you create, not find. By citing the
quotation, it is apparent that although maintaining a balance between your personal and
professional lives might be difficult, it is important. So, let’s examine what work-life balance
is. In a nutshell, the work-life balance may be defined as an equivalence when individuals
prioritise their personal and professional obligations equally. For instance, when someone
may be equally satisfied in both their personal and professional lives. The key idea in this
phrase on which we should concentrate is that I am not addressing time but rather a
satisfaction because it may be tough for you to devote the same amount of time to your
personal life when your employment lasts 10 hours. Therefore, it is crucial to feeling satisfied
since it defines the level you achieve by devoting even a minute to your personal or
professional life.
We now understand the relationship between work-life balance and degree of satisfaction.
However, what exactly defines its significance and explains why it is a current hot topic?
Therefore, this may be explained by growing levels of responsibility at work, growing
opportunities for freelancing, lengthy workdays, levels of duty at home due to working
couples, and several other concerns. The dilemma of organising everything and performing
better in our personal and professional lives now arises.
Let’s start with comprehending the ideas we may employ daily to preserve the balance
between work and life. Accepting that there is no ideal work-life balance is my first piece of
advice. Settle down! I know that it seems bizarre to speak about work-life balance while still
maintaining that there is no ideal work-life balance. Yes, it is typical human behaviour to stop
work early, get home, and spend the rest of the day with loved ones. This is how work-life
balance is most often achieved.
However, after 2.5 years of working with organisations, I can say from my experience that
this is a lie. As the proverb, “Rojana Diwali nahi hoti”, states, you won’t encounter the same
circumstance every day, which is why I am making this statement. Let me give you an
example from my previous job. There, I saw a variety of situations, including the changing
behaviour of coworkers, the boss’s poor work-life balance, and the superiors’ shifting
behaviour. These characteristics influence how we wish to spend and materialise our work-
life balance. It would help if you accepted that you have no control over any of them. We can

explain this philosophical concept by using my example because it is tough for a pupil to
comprehend. At my organization, I used to spend one or more hours every day conversing
with my coworkers and adjusting my schedule. It aids in crisis management and networking,
which come in handy while you’re preoccupied with personal or family obligations. And I
always consider this hour with my friends to be unpaid personal time rather than work time.
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, this supports me and satisfies my internal needs
connected to love and belongingness.
Finding a work, you enjoy is a further consideration that, in my experience, is incongruous.
Even though I am aware that we will never get the ideal work since we are all just people
with endless needs. In light of this, I want to revise my earlier statement that you should
always look for the positive in your work. Always concentrate on those elements, play to
your strengths, and take on any work that will help you change your mindset and lead to a
better opportunity. Let me now relate this to a personal experience where I worked in a
hazardous atmosphere with many toxic individuals. There, I try to concentrate on my areas of
strength and always have fun at work. This assisted me in developing a crucial component of
my job—converting my diligent labor into intelligent work—and obtaining excellence in
my work. Oh! I neglected to disclose that a student consulting company employed me.
Privatizing your health is the last recommendation I want to make for achieving a work-life
balance. This aspect sets you apart from other workers and is crucial to your success.
Promoting your mental and physical wellness will reflect your personality and the company’s
success. While working, I discovered that a boss might teach you several elements of
physical health. You can grasp things more clearly and with more bodily activity if you are
physically and mentally healthy. It will assist you in developing your skills and, as a result,
use less time when engaging in a certain activity, whether it be related to your personal or
professional life. The good news is that investing 20 to 30 minutes in your exercise can
eventually help you and allow you to spend more time on your personal life.
So, to sum up, I’d want to utilize Gary Keller’s words as my conclusion. “The rubber ball of
work. It bounces back if you drop it. The other four glass balls represent family, health,
friends, and integrity. One of them will be irreparably scratched, nicked, and maybe even
broken if you drop it.

Bhanu Pratap Singh Tanwar

Section A