As a member of the late 1960s generation, the question of a good work-life balance has been with me from the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n
Influenced by a libertarian spirit in which personal responsibility and motivation were considered the highest virtues, I was taught early on: Life is what you make of it. Cold water was not a spectre, but a familiar element, an expression of self-determination. <\/p>\n\n
At the beginning of my studies, the focus was less on academic prospects and more on the need to develop key skills in order to be a competitive performer after graduation.<\/p>\n\n
There was no mention of work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n
The weekend was a retreat where we occasionally didn’t work. Not much has changed to this day. I’m not dissatisfied, but I’m rich in experiences, including two moderate burnouts. <\/p>\n\n
Be careful what you’re asking for.<\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n
My son is now studying mechanical engineering with great passion and looks to the future with a completely different attitude.<\/p>\n\n
The question of a safety net hardly ever arises for him. With playful ease and serious commitment, he explores what is possible and what gives him pleasure. <\/p>\n\n
From my perspective at the time, it seems almost alien.<\/p>\n\n
And yet today it seems so healthy, so mature, so life-affirming to me.<\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n
In practice, it is often far removed from life: Why this separation between “work” and “life”?<\/p>\n\n
Is work not a part of life?<\/p>\n\n
Am I not alive during work and only come back to life when I leave the company premises?<\/p>\n\n
The separation seems contrived.<\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n
This originally sensible concept is often distorted today.<\/p>\n\n
The performance maximizer propagates work-life balance as a social ideal and in reality consistently shifts the balance in favour of work. Predictable. <\/p>\n\n
The entitlement avoider uses the concept to justify inertia and emphasizes that more is already being done than is required. Just as predictable. <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n
But there is a third group: people who do what they do with passion and joy, without ever thinking about work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n
They act out of an inner drive, not out of a sense of duty. They work because they want to. <\/p>\n\n
And leave it if they don’t want to. An expression of true freedom and self-determination. <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n
The separation between work and life is artificial.<\/p>\n\n
He who works, lives.
The question is not balance.
The balance follows your decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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