The Work-Life Balance Myth: Rethinking Your Optimal Balance for Success

By David J. McNeff

An empowering guide that will show you how to shed the myth of the “work-life balance” by merging the seven key components that make up your life to attain harmony and whole-life success

“All of us have Seven Slices in our lives: our Family Slice, our Professional Slice, our Personal Slice, our Physical Slice, our Intellectual Slice, our Emotional Slice, and our Spiritual Slice. These all need to be served in some fashion—and in serving them, they, in turn, serve us.”

This relatively simple but profoundly critical concept is at the heart of the method executive coach David McNeff has used to transform the lives and careers of his clients. It begins with two important facts: 1) stress happens—you can’t avoid it; and 2) your existence is composed of far more than “work” and “life.”

Too often, we divide our lives into those two general categories, but we’re all a lot more complex and our lives are richer than that. By being clear and mindful of all aspects of your life—the Seven Slices—you’ll be more likely to find inner harmony when stress impacts one of them. In The Work-Life Balance Myth, McNeff takes you on a deep dive into each of the Seven Slices, explaining the components of each Slice, signs that you may not be attending to each Slice in a healthy way, and hands-on methods for accessing an underserved Slice.

The Work-Life Balance Myth won’t make your life perfect—no one can do that, and you shouldn’t trust anyone who makes that promise. What this book will do is provide you with proven new ways of framing your life, seeing stress for what it is, and vastly improving your ability to navigate the emotional challenges that will inevitably arise in a way that serves your Seven Slices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Release date: Feb 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781260468908

Book preview

BALANCE VERSUS HARMONY

Peace is a day-to-day problem, the product of a multitude of events and judgments. Peace is not an is, it is a becoming.

—HAILIE SELASSIE

Balance may be a myth, but harmony is achievable—even when you feel as though every moment of your life is scheduled and you are under constant pressure. There can never be a balance if we only allow a couple of major Slices to take up most of our time. But if we consistently invest in the other five Slices of our lives, we will manage our stress and open the door to harmony, joy, and happiness.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE WAS ALWAYS A MYTH

One out of every four Americans is super stressed. ¹ Not just stressed, but super stressed. The causes include heavy workloads, family responsibilities and relationships, other relationships, and difficulties in squeezing in outside interests. ²

The latest research indicates that stress doubles our chances of contracting heart disease,³ exacerbates respiratory issues,⁴ and can cause or worsen a host of other ailments. The sad reality is that too many of us are super stressed—to the point where it’s making us sick.

This state of being super stressed often creates two instant problems: we become more unhappy, and we become less productive. Being unhappy and less productive, of course, makes us feel even more pressure—and, therefore, more stressed. It can feel like a never-ending cycle.

Anyone can handle a stressful day or a stressful week here and there. But many successful professionals live in a spiral that never seems to allow for escape. In fact, 76 percent of employees in the United States feel burned out at work, with 28 percent always feeling burned out.⁵

What’s stressing us out? Since most people work to provide for themselves and their families, let’s look at what people say is causing stress at work:

•   49 percent—low salaries

•   43 percent—lack of opportunity for advancement

•   43 percent—heavy workload

•   40 percent—unrealistic job expectations

•   39 percent—long hours⁶

Now, let’s combine this with what people are feeling more broadly that is contributing to their sense of being overwhelmed. According to this same survey, here are the top seven themes that are worrying Americans today:

•   71 percent—mass shootings

•   69 percent—healthcare

•   64 percent—work

•   62 percent—current political climate

•   60 percent—money

•   60 percent—terrorism

•   56 percent—climate change⁷

To add one more log to this burning fire, consider the findings of a Cigna Insurance Company survey of over 10,000 Millennial and Gen Z workers.⁸ Both groups feel lonely and isolated at work. They said there is too much texting instead of talking, which they felt promoted more detachment in relationships; too many back-to-back meetings; and very little time for ad hoc interactions with coworkers. Like everyone else, Millennials and Gen Z workers feel they are too busy and overwhelmed at the same time.

What is important to keep in mind when digesting the current state of stress from a macro level is that all these issues are impacting individuals almost every day. Very simply, most people are experiencing high levels of stress, and many people are super stressed.