Recently, I have been exploring the concept of the Work-Play Balance. Work, including, but not limited to, all actions associated with your job, your profession, your career, etc. Play, basically, being everything else. lol
If we take my work into consideration, it would include the physical time I spend at work - 8am - 4pm, Mondays through Fridays, and the time that it takes me to get to and from my job - which thankfully is not a very long commute. My work side of the Work-Play Balance is really quite manageable and secluded to very specific days and times. I am thankful that I am not required to do any overtime, take my work home with me, or do any additional work outside of the normal business hours of my workplace. I am incredibly lucky.
For many others, the work side may easily outweigh the play side of the Work-Play Balance. I recently started a small crafting business as a hobby - I get to determine how many hours I choose to commit to the small business and how often. This is a unique scenario as it also bridges the gap from the work side to the play side, as I simply adore and indulge in creating and crafting, so to me, it feels like play a lot of the time. But I have noticed on social media platforms, many small business owners who share that they decided against a standard 9 to 5 job to run their own small business which has them practically working 24/7. So what does their Work-Play Balance look like?
It is also worthwhile to consider the individuals who are riddled with time for play and hardly work at all. If you are one of those individuals and are financially stable where play is the only thing you do, congratulations, you lucky S.O.B! I hope that you are capable of seeing the luxury of a lifestyle where work is not necessary or something that is of interest, while others have a need to work to survive.
Alas, there is no straight forward answer of what the Work-Play Balance should look like. Each person is different. Some people may be able to live and thrive with an even 50-50 split, while others may lean more towards one side over the other to feel that balance from either working too much or too little. For some, work may be the part of their life that brings them the most joy, which makes it a higher priority than play. On the other hand, even a manageable workload can have people seeking and yearning for when they can engage and indulge in their playtime to return to equilibrium.
I cannot advise you on what percentage of each you should engage in. It is really up to you to recognize when you might be working too much and need to play a little more. You may consider reaching out to a therapist or life coach if you feel you need additional support in how to regulate your work-play balance. I will say this: if you have someone in your life that is important and they recognize or mention that you might be burnt out, overworked, spread thin - it might be a good idea to self-reflect and evaluate your Work-Play Balance.
