Why Work-Life Balance Is a Myth That’s Making Entrepreneurs Miserable

We’ve seen all the think pieces about work-life balance. We’ve heard plenty of opinions from burned-out employees and concerned health experts, and even seen travel blogs touting countries like New Zealand and South Africa to find the perfect utopia where ‘work to live, not live to work’ exists.

But what if none of it is real? What if everything we’ve been led to believe about work-life balance is just a myth, and thinking we are failing in the mission leaves entrepreneurs miserable and unfulfilled?

I remember feeling this way when I first started my company, BriteCo. I was plagued with the thought that I was not giving enough hours to my business or that I was not committed enough as a father and husband when I was at home, if I spent too many hours at the office. The ideology bogged me down until I shifted my perspective and began to think of this preconceived “work-life balance” as “work-life mastery” instead.

Related: 10 Myths About Work-Life Balance and What to Do Instead

It’s not one or the other — It’s both

The breakthrough came when I stopped asking, “How do I separate work and life?” and started pivoting to “How do I make work worth integrating?”

Everyone talks about work-life balance as two polar entities: You have your work life and your home life, and they’re completely separate, never to meet. But that belief is where burnout happens.

Instead, learning to blend the two and finding ways to integrate and intersect is where there is real power and personal reward. This doesn’t mean you have to work 24/7/365. It means being intentional about what deserves your attention — and when.

Related: Are You Overlooking the Mindset Shift That Transforms Good Leaders Into Great Ones?

Making work meaningful

First and foremost, you should enjoy your work. As entrepreneurs, this is pivotal. You’re going to invest many, many hours, especially in the beginning, so rather than begrudge it, embrace it.

Having a strong passion for your business and the services or products you offer will help drive your success: It will help you solve problems and keep your curiosity firing. However, the other benefit is that when you enjoy what you do, the rules for structuring work are thrown out. You’ll soon realize you don’t have to gate work outside your life but can keep both doors open and accessible at all times.

Finding time for personal time

It should go without saying that you should absolutely schedule personal time — take days off, take vacations, show up for family time. But maybe taking a day off leaves an hour for a board meeting before you go. Maybe weekends also offer a chunk of time to catch up on menial tasks, so they don’t waste your attention during the work week.

When I go home every night, I sit down and have dinner with my family. I’ll still throw the baseball with my son and make time to coach his baseball team. I’m not working during that time, but that doesn’t mean that whole evening or that whole Saturday is completely checked out. It doesn’t have to be a full workday, but the purpose is to be flexible with my time and optimize my efficiency.

When I take vacations, I don’t completely shut off. I’ll still enjoy time away with my family, but I’ll check emails while we’re getting ready in our hotel and look for updates before going to bed. Doing so helps me stay even tangentially connected and offers a much smoother transition once I’m back to the office because I avoid the burnout of playing catch-up.

Aligning business goals with personal growth

What would shift if you viewed your business as part of your life’s purpose rather than something stealing from it? You’d probably have a whole new appreciation for what you do and the value it adds to your life.

If accomplishing business goals doesn’t give you a rush of endorphins and a huge sense of personal accomplishment, you may want to reevaluate whether your current line of work is the best fit for you. If your work successes don’t also make you want to level up in the gym, at home or in your personal hobbies, then it’s time to start finding that inspiration and fusing it into your whole life.

Whereas the old “work-life balance” model assumes work and life compete with each other and that you must escape one to enjoy or focus on the other, it’s time to flip the switch and invest in meaningful work that can energize your entire life.