Work-Life Balance

Is This a Good Thing?

This startled me a little, as I never considered balance to be the subject of my writing. I began to wonder if this was the idea I had been projecting, even if it was unintentional.

Am I encouraging my readers to seek a certain type of balance in their lives? If I am, then I should be sure that I know what that means, how people react to it, and if it lines up with the mission of Tabitha's Team. I have not been able to stop thinking about this.

So I started thinking about what work-life balance is, what we think it means, and how we tend to act on this idea.

Some people believe this simply means making sure that work does not dominate our life and cause us to neglect family or other things that are important to us. Others have defined balance as setting priorities in our life, and using these priorities as a guide in our daily schedule. In this sense, it is certainly a good idea.

However, here at Tabitha's Team, the primary focus is on breaking free from perfectionism so that we can live as servants of Jesus.

I'm afraid that our culture has turned the idea of "work-life balance" into a kind of idol that we use to feed our perfectionism.

We study the Proverbs 31 woman and make lists of her activities in categories (household management, business, charity, etc). We read countless books and articles on time management and how to achieve perfect balance. We create day-planners, goal sheets, and action plans.

I am the type of person who just loves these activities. Dayplanners are so exciting! Writing down goals and priorities are actually an activity that I consider to be fun. Putting things on paper helps me think. I don't think any of these things are bad.

The problem arises when we see "work-life balance" as a method of controlling things and creating a life that has just the right amount of time applied in all areas.

We have a boat floating nicely, and we don't want anything to upset it. At this point in the process, we have forgotten something.

God is still in charge, and he might not have things planned in perfect proportions.

He might just want to rock our boat a little.

How do we respond to his calling if it doesn't fit into our dayplanner?

I admit, when we start living with a little less structure, it can be very overwhelming. We wake up and think, "I have 10 things that need to be done right now, how do I do them all at once?"

In fact, this struggle is what led to the conversation that started this article.

As I already mentioned, I am a bit of a structure-addict. I would like nothing better than to have everything planned out perfectly, fitting nicely into color-coded boxes on the Microsoft Outlook screen.

I still have a system, but life is a little less structured right now. Actually, it is a lot less structured, and it drives me crazy!

God is showing me that I need to hold a little less tightly to the format.

He has taken away the security blanket, so that I have to abide in him continually to make decisions. It is frightening, liberating, and full of new intimacy.

I'm not suggesting that you throw your whole system out the window. Please don't toss your planner or re-set your Blackberry and tell your boss that I said to do it.

What I am suggesting is that you evaluate what place these tools are holding in your life, and make sure that they are not hindering you from listening to God and following his direction.

What Does Work-life Balance Mean to You?

Have you struggled with issues of "work-life balance?"

Do you sometimes let the need to control and plan leave you deaf to God's voice and direction?

How about a great time-management technique that is helpful when used properly?

Share your work-life balance tips and struggles.

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Perfectionism Resources

God, Use Me Just the Way I Am, DVD By Angela Thomas / Word Entertainment Inc

The Hurried Women Syndrome, DVD By Catherine Hart-Weber / Word Entertainment Inc

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul By John & Stasi Eldredge / Thomas Nelson

Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently By Marcus Buckingham / Thomas Nelson

Let Go: Live Free of the Burdens All Women Know By Sheila Walsh / Thomas Nelson

Your Life in Rhythm: Achieving Freedom from Burnout, Busyness, and Guilt By Bruce Miller / Tyndale House

How Can I Run a Tight Ship When I'm Surrounded by Loose Cannons? Proverbs 31 Discoveries For Yielding To The Master of The Seas By Kathi Macias / New Hope Publishers

Perfecting Ourselves to Death: The Pursuit of Excellence and the Perils of Perfectionism By Richard Winter / Inter-varsity Press