Work-life balance is the idea that we should strive to maintain a separation between work and personal lives, although in practice, work can often take over our personal time.
But, what if we get rid of this traditional approach? There's another interesting one: work-life integration. This way of thinking defends life as unique, having different facets in it: work, leisure, family… And all of them must fit together to work as a whole.
This is the model that we defend and put into practice at Together. For example, with remote work or (real) flextime.
So you might be thinking, “Wait, isn't this just work-life balance with a fancy new name?” But nope!
Work-life integration is all about continuity. We don't have to switch off parts of our life to be present in others. We can just be fully present and engaged in everything, all at once!
📹 If you're interested in learning more about the differences between work-life balance and work-life integration, check out this video.
Setting boundaries is about knowing our limits, understanding what we're not willing to accept, and making that clear to others so that we enhance our well-being.
If we don't establish our limits, we run the risk of neglecting our own needs, overworking, burning out… In short, to lose our own equilibrium.
In a world where we're always connected, it's easy to get caught up in the never-ending cycle of social media and notifications. But without limits, we could end up exhausted.
Drawing the line isn't always easy, but it's necessary for our wellness. It allows us to focus on what matters most, prioritize our time and energy, and reduce stress.
When we establish boundaries, we're better equipped to show up as our best selves in all areas of our lives.
For example:
Remember, it's not selfish to take care of ourselves – it's essential.
Ever caught yourself sneakily checking work notifications during your downtime? Guilty as charged, I know I have! 🙋🏻
Luckily, our phones come with a feature that can help with that – Focus Mode!
You can customize different modes (e.g., Work, Free Time, Fitness… — whatever you can imagine, really) and they will filter out the irrelevant notifications from apps and contacts, depending on your chosen settings.
The idea is to keep you “at the moment” by filtering out apps or notifications that you don’t want popping up during specific times.
During work hours, turn off notifications from games or social networks. And when you're in your free time, turn off work-related app notifications, so you can fully enjoy your free time without interruptions.
📱 Want to learn how to do it? Check out this tutorial for iPhone and this one for Android.
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