What Does-Work Life Balance Actually Mean?

Work–life balance is something we talk about a lot.

Many of us say we want better work–life balance. Many organisations encourage it. And yet for many leaders, it still feels frustratingly difficult to achieve.

Part of the problem is that we often chase the idea of work–life balance without ever really defining what it means for us personally.

In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I explore why work–life balance can feel so elusive and why measuring it day by day or week by week often sets leaders up to feel like they’re falling short.

Instead, I suggest taking a longer-term perspective on work–life balance and looking at how aligned your life is over periods of time rather than individual days.

More importantly, I explain why achieving meaningful work–life balance starts with being clear about your core values – the things that truly matter most in your life and leadership.

Because work–life balance isn’t about splitting time equally between work and life.

It’s about aligning your time, energy and attention with what matters most to you.

I also share a simple reflection exercise that helps leaders clarify their priorities and regularly check whether they are actually living in line with them.

Because like pilots navigating a long flight, we will inevitably drift off course from time to time.

But with the right waypoints in place, we can make small adjustments that bring us back on track and help us maintain a healthier and more sustainable form of work–life balance.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why work–life balance often feels difficult to achieve for leaders and managers
• Why measuring work–life balance day by day can be misleading
• Why taking a longer-term perspective gives a more realistic view of balance and wellbeing
• How identifying your core values helps define what work–life balance actually means for you
• A simple reflection exercise to help you realign your time, energy and leadership priorities

Ben’s Key Takeaway

Work–life balance isn’t about perfectly balancing every day or every week.

Life and leadership simply don’t work that way.

Some periods will demand more from work. Others will require more focus on family, health, relationships or personal priorities.

The real question is whether, over time, we are living in line with the things that matter most to us.

That’s why clarity on our values is so important.

Our values become the waypoints that help guide our decisions about how we spend our time, energy and attention.

And like any long journey, we will occasionally drift off course.

But if we take time to check our direction and make small adjustments along the way, we can ensure we stay broadly aligned with what matters most.

Because sustainable work–life balance isn’t about perfection.

It’s about intentional alignment over time.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

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If you’re ready to:

Build confidence and capability as a leader

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Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Register your interest for the programme here.

 

Podcast Transcript

If you’re someone who’s striving for better work–life balance – or perhaps feeling like you never quite achieve it – then today’s episode of The Leader’s Kitbag is for you. 

Because work–life balance is something we hear about all the time. 

Many of us say we want it. 

But I’m not sure we often stop to ask a really important question. 

What does work–life balance actually look like… for you? 

Because many people are chasing this idea of balance without ever really defining it for themselves. 

And I think there are two things that make this particularly difficult. 

The first is that we often try to measure balance over far too short a period of time. 

We look at a single day… or maybe a week… and decide whether things feel balanced or not. 

But life and leadership don’t really work like that. 

Some days work will dominate. 

Other days family, health, or something else in your personal life might need more of your time and attention. 

So for me, balance isn’t something I try to measure day by day. 

It’s something I tend to look at over a longer timeframe – roughly three months. 

Because over that period of time you start to see the real pattern of how you’re spending your time and energy. 

And the second challenge with work–life balance is even more important. 

You can’t really define balance unless you’re clear about what matters most to you. 

In other words, your core values. 

Balance isn’t about splitting your time evenly between work and life. 

It’s about allocating your time and energy in line with the things that matter most. 

And that will be different for each of us. 

So here’s a simple exercise that I use myself and often share with the leaders I coach. 

Start by identifying five or six of your core values — the things that genuinely matter most to you. 

Once you’ve done that, every three months ask yourself a simple question: 

How well have I actually lived these values over the past three months? 

And give yourself a score out of five for each one. 

Not to judge yourself – but simply to notice where things might be drifting. 

Because if health or family is important to you, but you’re consistently scoring yourself a two out of five, that’s probably a signal that something needs to change over the next few months.  

And the way I think about this is a bit like how pilots navigate long flights. 

When a plane flies from London to New York, it isn’t perfectly on course the entire time. 

In fact, it’s slightly off course quite often. 

But pilots use predetermined waypoints to make small adjustments and bring the aircraft back on track. 

And I think our values can work in exactly the same way. 

They become the waypoints that help guide how we spend our time, energy and attention. 

So, if you’re striving for better work–life balance, perhaps the goal isn’t perfectly balanced days or weeks. 

Perhaps the real goal is simply this: 

Be clear on what matters most… and adjust your course every few months to stay aligned with it. 

That’s it for this episode. 

As always, I hope it’s been useful. 

Look after yourself. 

Look after those you’ve got the privilege and responsibility to lead. 

And until next time… 

Lead on.