Achieving a work-life balance is a key indicator of a successful person. It means that one should be able to grow professionally, family-wise, socially, economical, spiritually and emotional-wise at the same time.
The work-life conversation has made many people come up with disruptive ideas about how this can be achieved. A lady called Shelby says she is uncomfortable with the 8-9 hours working culture that many people are used to. For most people, especially those living in urban areas, this does not include the approximately 3 hours they use to go to and from work.
Photo: Market Business
“Am I the only one that sees a problem with working 8-9 hours a day and then going home to having about 4 hours to yourself which includes getting ready for the next day??? This is not life. Then to be married and have kids on top of all of that? Wild. No wonder people are depressed and going through it. That’s too much to handle,” Shelby wrote.
Shelby suggests that working for 4-5 Hours a day is good enough for people to have a balanced life.
“At least with 4/5 hours, I can know majority of my day/life is still for me and not for the job I work for. If only we could get the world to see that our career is our life, not making money for big corporations,” Shelby added.
Photo: Pinterest
Shelby urged all people who support her line of thought to be the agents of change by proposing these working hours to their companies or starting their own companies and implementing this disruptive idea.
She believes that working 4-5 hours a day would greatly impact workers’ attention, productivity and zeal.
Other social media users differed with Shelby saying her idea was not practical in all institutions.
Naby Fall: “Can you propose that when you create your own company?
Bea Ruthie: “I’m guessing you don’t work in a school.”
Fed MN: “Ridiculous. Paying people not to work never goes well.”
Gee Wee: “Shelby, if you want nice things for yourself and your family, you have to work for them.”
Photo: HBF
Another social media user wrote, “Sorry, I can’t agree with your math. I have 8 hours of work and 7 hours of sleep, leaving 9 hours of life. I have hobbies, a life and work out in those 9 hours. The trick is not wasting either of the work or life hours. It helps that I love my work.”
During the 2022 political campaigns in Kenya, George Wajackoyah, a presidential candidate, promised to initiate four working days and three days for the weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) if citizens elected him to lead the country. This idea appears to be in tandem with Shelby’s idea of creating more time for a work-life balance.
When all is said and done, it depends on your tactic in creating a work-life balance for yourself. It may never be the same with anyone’s style, but if it works for you, you have all the reasons to stick to it.
