This image is of some beautiful books I own that I have never really had the time to open, which is really the subject of this post.Sorry for getting all deep on you but I am finding myself pondering the whole work/life balance dilemma of modern living and the 'robot syndrome' I feel I have succumbed to. Despite having a mortgage and various other financial commitments I am seriously considering giving up my full-time job, and more importantly my full-time wage, and shifting to part-time work. There are many many good reasons to do this. There is one bad one - less money.
I'm all for earning a good wage if you're lucky enough to have a job that completely inspires and fulfills you the majority of the time, but if that is not the case, I'm feeling more and more that it is worth adapting to a lower income of part-time employment in order to have the time to pursue the things that you really enjoy. I know this is not rocket science, it's a bit of a no-brainer in some ways...but the dilemma is that you need money to pursue the things you would like to pursue if you weren't spending 5 days a week chained to a desk not really achieving anything that amazing. On the other hand, freeing up some of your time to pursue other passions might actually end up making you money. Eeek, what is one to do?
The pro's of less time at work - more time and energy to cook good healthy meals (this is a big one for me as I am not much of a cook and at the end of a long workday I detest the thought of having to prepare a meal even though I know how important it is for my health), more time to get the house organised during the week so I can spend my weekend doing things I want to do and maintaining friendships rather than cleaning, washing, shopping, bla bla bla....more time to exercise and be outdoors, more time to spend with my partner, and possibly most importantly, more time to pursue my creative interests and pursue new opportunities.
How do you negotiate the work/life balance? Are you winning or losing?
