Can Life Really Be "Balanced"?

I was chatting with a friend over dinner the other night when we began discussing life balance. As we were talking, I was thinking about the literal definition of balance:

bal·ance     /ˈbæləns/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[bal-uhns] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb,  -anced, -anc·ing. –noun 

1.	a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.

2.	something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.

3.	mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.

When we talk about life balance, it's important to understand that...

if you work a full time job, as most people do, you'll never have true "balance" from a dictionary standpoint. Let's do a little math. I've made these numbers up as an example. I know some of you work part time and others work more than 40 hours. So these are ballpark examples. Roll with it.

Total hours in a week:  168

Subtract hours for the following:
Sleep:  (7 hours average per night)  49
Work:  40
Commuting:  10
Meals:  10
Home & life maintenance: 40 (this encompasses everything from laundry to getting dressed to running errands, to washing the car, to grocery shopping, and more)

That's a total of  149 hours each week, just doing the things that keep your life functioning. Out of 168 hours, that leaves you a total of 19 hours a week to squeeze in some "balance".  Good thing American Idol is only an  hour show!

The truth is if you work full time, you're just not likely to have literal hour-for-hour life balance. You just plain don't have 40 hours of fun time left over to counter-balance your 40 work hours. The good news is it doesn't take 40 hours of fun to balance 40 hours of work. Now, I have no scientific proof, but I don't believe it's a one-for-one calculation.

See, I think leisure hours are like a balsamic reduction. (Bear with me as I indulge my foodie side). Balsamic vinegar is yummy in marinades, salad dressings and such. It has a wonderful flavor and it's a common and versatile cooking ingredient. Balsamic reduction, however, is a different. It's made by evaporating the liquid out of balsamic vinegar over medium heat, until it's reduced to a thick, sweet, intensely flavored dark syrup, which is drizzled over pastas, salads, fruit, meat or chicken.

The key when working with a balsamic reduction is that you can't use too much because of its intense flavor. What started out as three cups of regular vinegar might reduce down to 1/2 cup of reduction, so a little of it goes a really long way. You can enhance the flavor of an entire chicken with just a small amount of reduction.

I think leisure activities are the same way. To add balance to your life, you don't need 40 hours of fun time to counteract 40 hours of work. You can just "drizzle" in a few hours of fun things and you'll feel more balanced. And like the reduction, you should be careful not to use too much leisure. When you try to cram too many hours of "balance" or leisure activity, it's not always fun! You end up overwhelmed and stressed out, which is precisely what balance is supposed to help you avoid.

What do you think? I'd love to know you stay balanced in your life.

Success & Simplicity,

Comments

[Jacki Hollywood Brown]

I prefer to think of balancing life as a term from my chemistry class: "dynamic equilibrium".
This means that everything is constantly moving but trying to be equal.
If you have the same number of red balls and blue balls in a box and you shake the box the balls are constantly moving. If you take a snapshots of the box over time, on average you will have the same number of reds and blues on each side of the box.
This means that some days (or weeks) you will have way too much work and some days you will have too much leisure time. But in the LONG run you have to make it balance out.

[Dr. Amie Ragan]

Although not very "mindful" I find balance by using time for two things. I almost always talk on a hands-free set when driving. This is when I catch up with family and friends. I am sure that mealtime with my husband is "one-on-one" talk time. Finally, because I find my job very fulfilling (most of the time) I think that adds to my balance because at that time there is no where else I want to be. Balance for me is like happiness, it is more of a journey than a destination.

[Monica Ricci]

Jacki and Amie, thanks for both your very thoughtful comments on this topic!
~Monica

[Marcia]

Hi Monica

Balance is not everything being equal but everything being in the right proportion for you.

Like for me, I need 3 sessions in the gym per week to feel like that area of my life is in balance. For other people, this might be 5 or more. But then for quality time with my hubby, I like LOTS whereas other people might need less.

So it's all about the right proportions in each area of life for you!

[Monica Ricci]

MARIA! You said it perfectly (and in a way I just couldn't seem to articulate when I wrote this post!) Thank you. Exactly right. It's not about everything getting "equal time". It's about it being in proportion for YOUR life. Most excellent comment, Maria. I hope you'll come back and leave your comments often!
~Monica

[Paula]

Thanks for linking to my balsamic reduction recipe! Hope you enjoy!

[Monica Ricci]

Paula, you are most welcome! Glad you left your comment. :)
~Monica