A lot of debate exists around what the phrase "work-life balance" actually means. Many opt for other terms that more accurately describe their definition like, "work-life integration" or "work-life alignment." Regardless of what you call it, having a clear definition of what work-life balance looks like and means to you is essential. However, I know the idea of sitting down and mapping out the vision can feel a bit overwhelming, so to help jumpstart your brainstorming session, here are 20 quotes from successful women on the topic:
“We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.” - Arianna Huffington
“Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.” - Hillary Clinton
"The work-life balance is a harsh reality for so many women, who are forced every day to make impossible choices. Do they take their kids to the doctor...and risk getting fired? Do they work weekends so they can afford to send their kids to better childcare...even though it means even less time with their families? Do they take another shift at work, so they can pay for piano lessons for their kids...even though it means they have to stop volunteering for the PTA? It just shouldn't be this difficult to raise healthy families." - Michelle Obama
"For fast-acting relief, try slowing down." - Lily Tomlin
"To have someone who never makes a mistake, never finds her personal life in disarray, never worries about work-life balance? I think that would be unreal." - Sophie Kinsella
"When I think about work-life balance, I don't imagine it as a perfect day where I got to spend the exact right amount of time having an impact at work and snuggling with my kids at home. I never achieve that. But over the course of a month, or a quarter, or a year, I try to make time for the people and experiences I value." - Jane Park
"Framing the issue of work-life balance - as if the two were dramatically opposed - practically ensures work will lose out. Who would ever choose work over life?" - Sheryl Sandberg
"Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices." - Betsy Jacobson
"I've learned that you can't have everything and do everything at the same time." - Oprah Winfrey
"You have to balance your passions, not your time." - Lisa Sugar
“Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.” - Shonda Rhimes
“You will never feel truly satisfied by work until you are satisfied by life.” - Heather Schuck
“Burnout is about resentment. Preventing it is about knowing yourself well enough to know what it is you're giving up that makes you resentful.” - Marissa Mayer
"You can't do a good job if your job is all you do." - Katie Thurmes
"Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away." - Barbara de Angelis
"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing." - Harriet Braiker
"I think taking vacations and turning off the phone and only doing emails or social media for a specific short amount of time helps with work/life balance. If I'm checking it all day I start to feel cuckoo-bird. So I just do it once or twice a day instead of a thousand. And then remembering that it doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter." - Maria Bamford
"Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." - Dolly Parton
"We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to do' list." - Michelle Obama
"Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy." - Sheryl Sandberg
There is no such thing as perfect, and balance will look different from person to person. Take this time to define your version of work-life balance and start taking the steps to make it a reality.
