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Imagine life is a game where you are juggling five balls. Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls — family, health, friends, integrity — are made of glass.
~ James Patterson
The first secret to work/life balance is recognizing that it’s not about balance. It is about balancing work and life. What appears to be a state of balance is something entirely different — an act of prioritizing and counterbalancing. (For example, a ballerina appears to be perfectly balanced on her toes, but a closer look reveals her toe shoes vibrating rapidly, making minute adjustments for balance.)
The second secret of work/life balance is recognizing there are two types of balancing: the balancing between work and personal life and the balancing within each.
Think about two balancing buckets. Separate your work life and personal life into two distinct buckets — not to compartmentalize them, just for counterbalancing.
- Your work life is divided into two distinct areas — what matters most and everything else. You will have to take what matters to the extremes and be okay with what happens to the rest. Professional success requires it.
- Your personal life has multiple areas, and each requires a minimum of attention. Drop any one and you will feel the effects. This requires constant awareness.
An extraordinary life is a counterbalancing act. Let the right things take precedence when they should. Get to the rest when you can.
In this episode, Jesse shares what he’s learned from chapter 8 of the book The ONE Thing and provides examples of applying the lessons.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- Book: The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller
- Podcast episode 164: The ONE Thing to Do This Week for Extraordinary Results
- Podcast episode 165: Using the Domino Effect for Extraordinary Results
- Podcast episode 168: Singleness of Purpose
- Podcast episode 169: Use a Success List (Instead of a To-do List)
- Podcast episode 171: Stop Trying to Multitask — It’s Making You Dumb and Ineffective
- Podcast episode 172: Build One Powerful Habit at a Time
- Podcast episode 174: Managing Willpower for What Matters Most
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