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Life-work balance – a brief reflection on why the order matters

Bakula Patel is a GP for Nottingham emergency medical services; and academic lead, senior primary care courses, University of Nottingham. She is on Twitter: @KingBakula

As we continue to navigate life (and the pandemic and other health crises) with its ups and downs, we have grown to appreciate the value of life and the enormity of work. This balancing act has never been greater to address to ensure we have time to rest, recuperate and recharge our own batteries.

I have always been perplexed with the term work-life balance and have been continually striving to achieve this nirvana of what is called work-life balance. On this journey it struck me – the order matters! In trying to achieve this balance I need to put life first.

On this journey it struck me – the order matters! In trying to achieve this balance I need to put life first.

Life-work balance has a totally different feel, a focus on life with work in it as opposed to work-life balance which puts work first and the bigger picture of life second. Now don’t get me wrong, work is an extremely important and enjoyable (for most parts) aspect of our lives, but the key is “part of our life”. We spend so much time focusing on work requirements and disproportionately less on life requirements. As work pressures continually rise, I would suggest start having a look at life-work balance and see if that helps you in your quest for a better work-life balance and brings back the smile to your face.

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

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