Outside of Work

“Work/life balance” is as elusive to define as it is to achieve. As a principal of a professional services firm (and former co-president), it was important for me to have a clear sense of what that balance meant, for my own sanity, and then be decisive and transparent in exercising it, so as to set a tone for others in the firm (since official policies are less binding on an office culture than “how does the boss behave”). 

But that’s not what today’s post is about. Rather, I want to try to catalog different forms of pursuits outside the office that people have, partly to make sense of the space and partly to acknowledge the importance of each and the freedom of all to find what works for them. I’d be curious to know if I missed anything or mis-defined anything, as well as to hear where you fall in this taxonomy. (Of course, many of the activities you pursue in your free time will blur the line between multiple of these categories. And, I’m excluding the mundane things we all have to concern ourselves with, like buying groceries and doing the laundry and bringing our car into the shop.)

 1. Familial obligations. I use the word “obligation” intentionally because even if you find joy in them, there is a responsibility there that defines these out-of-office pursuits. Caring for small kids, elderly parents, and out-of-luck relatives all fall into this category.

 2. Leisure pursuits. Whether solo, with family and friends, in affinity groups, or intersected with your work world, these are things like sports, art/music, cooking, gardening, and travel that are done primarily for fun (even if they have ancillary benefits like networking or health). 

3. Self-care. Therapy, meditation, and silent retreats are important things to invest time in for some, to preserve oneself and recharge from the grind of the work world. (Obviously, many leisure pursuits are a form of self-care, but I wanted to break this category out on its own to properly elevate its importance.) 

4. Side hustles. Real estate investments, DJ’ing, and the like are ways to make some extra spending cash and maybe scratch some creative itch that your day job doesn’t fully fulfill. (Side note: I have a friend who’s a really good poker player, good enough that he makes more money than he loses at the casino and tournaments, so that’s a fun example of a leisure pursuit that brings in money instead of costing money!) 

What did I miss? What did I mis-describe? What do you do? What works for you?