The Two Types of Work.
I was considering the topic of work-life balance the other day. I realized that this is not a topic that one can consider deeply without first understanding that there are different types of work.
Depending on the type of work you have in your life, the concept of work-life balance will change.
Broadly speaking, work can be subdivided into these two types:
- Work that is done in order to make money to live. This means that you would rather do something else with your time, but you are giving up some of your time for money.
- Work that matches up with your interests and passions, and is something that you would do regardless if you were paid for it or not. The key question to ask yourself here is that if you had unlimited money, would you still be doing what you are doing? If the answer is yes, then you have work that belongs to this second category.
It is already obvious how the idea of work-life balance is going to change depending on the above. If you are employed in work #1, you want to ideally minimize the amount of work you do in order to have space to live your life and do the things that interest you.
If you are lucky enough to have work that is precisely related to your passions, then this is not the case. In fact, you may struggle to find a proper work-life balance, because your work and life may become indistinguishable.
This can be both a blessing and a curse. Of course, you will likely be highly productive and spend more time doing your work, so you’ll have an advantage over anyone who is operating in the #1 work style. But, you may not give yourself enough time for the rest of your life and other goals that you want to achieve.
