Work life merge – Exhibit A’s contribution…

The thing about blending work and life is that it’s a BRILLIANT idea when you love your job and it’s going well. Because then work is another fun thing you do, and the people you meet through work are new friends, and you have a laugh. If you’re self-employed, blending home and work gives you a lot more flexibility sometimes – it’s no great imposition to do a bit of research while you’re watching TV in the evening if the flip-side is being able to ditch work for 2 hours in the afternoon to meet a friend for lunch.

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But the danger – and I really believe it’s a big one – is that when your job isn’t going well, when your colleagues and clients aren’t your new best friends, and the work is a chore rather than another fun thing you do – blending work and life gives you no refuge. The negativity of the job infects your whole day, it impacts on families, friendships, relationships. And if you’re in paid employment, having no division between work and private life means a disaster in your personal life could impact on your reputation, and prospects, in the workplace. Work/Life balance can often just be a sneaky way for employers to get more for less, let’s remember.I would urge anyone – no matter what sort of job they do – to preserve some division between work and home life. Keep a little of yourself back from your professional online persona. It’s incredibly important and when the proverbial hits the fan, it could be the difference between keeping things going and watching it all fall apart.
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I’ve always kept a bit back from the online thing – for me it’s my personal, close relationships. They’re mine and they’re private and those people are my refuge when work is tough – and running your own business, particularly one that involves interacting with a highly volatile, 24/7, opinionated community like bloggers – can get tough. When that happens, for my own sanity, I need people who couldn’t give a toss about what X said about Y, or blogging versus Tweeting, or whatever the work crisis might be. I need people with the perspective and independence to help me laugh when something is actually just ridiculous, and remind me that the perception someone might have of me in a professional context has little relation to who I actually am, and what my value to the world is.
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Men versus women – I think women are generally less successful at dividing work and home, since they are more likely to work part-time, they’re more likely to work from home, they’re more likely to be a primary child-carer… I think also women might think having a blended work and home life is an achievement, but I would say, hand on heart, those people who achieve most professionally are not generally those who mix home and personal. By all means do a job you’re passionate about, and that you love, but don’t mistake your job for being your life, is my advice.
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