The barriers between different areas in our own life are useless. Nowhere is this more visible than with the division of life in “work” and “other” parts. There is no point in dividing one whole into two parts and then balancing them when you can keep it whole. These barriers exist only in our own heads, because we’re mentally unprepared for some healthy dynamics and don’t understand the fundamental power of chaos.
Work is a trap word. Having a job is a complex exchange of: Time, Energy, Knowledge from your side and Money, Appreciation, Education from your employer.
Everyone should work as much, as little, as early, as late, and as remote, as they want, as they deserve with their output and as the nature of the work allows. You should be able to take a full time break mostly whenever you want.
Your energy is a function of your motivation. You’re either motivated (Hunter mode) or not (Sheep mode).
Your knowledge and experience are with you anywhere, anytime. The most important and universal skills are self-knowledge and people skills. These are not bound to the workplace.
Problems at work are the number one reason for unhappiness and appreciation is the most important feature of a job. The only emotionally intelligent way is to dissect such issues into its Game Of Life and Game Of Self bits.
If you’re an employee, the free market of goods and services do not apply directly to you. There are three driving forces behind your financial happiness: how well is the company doing; how fairly is the company distributing profits; do other companies compete for your skills. You can never expect to be paid more than: what you bring the company minus expenses and taxes minus shareholder profits minus some risk buffer for the company.
As an employee you are reducing the risk short term, but the biggest long-term risk in life is to just do the same thing. Not taking any risks in modern life is a risk itself. Seeing money only through the lens of your day job is a very bad long-term habit. If you understand economics, you have a vast advantage in life.
Follow two steps trying new stuff with minimal investment and effort until it works: 1. create a product/service that clearly has more demand than supply; 2. find a way to sell it.
If you love your work, the balance thing is a fallacy. If you don’t love it, forget all this and start searching for this love right away.
