Episode 19: The Myth of Balance and How to Live Life Well When Juggling All the Things In Your Life

Today, we challenge you to stop trying to balance your life and instead choose consciously what matters to you! We may not be able to have “balance”, but it is possible to have the space for what matters most by measuring the quality, instead of just the quantity, of your time.

In this Episode

Why the word “balance” is a boring word to Kate [2:28]
Does your child act totally different with you than he or she does with your partner? [5:21]
Before he had his own daughter, Mike could never understand why people couldn’t get things done [7:20]
How life with kids is like a parallel universe [7:30]
Why waking up just an hour earlier can pay big dividends for some people [13:40]
Is accomplishment important to Mike? [14:56]
We’re all navigating something [17:57]
So much of the striving we’re doing is driven by guilt [19:25]
“Cancer is the body’s metaphor for the extreme need to grow” [20:55]
The #1 reason we like to check things off a to-do list [21:23]
Having common goals keeps a marriage alive [22:33]
There’s a major difference in thoughts and expectation between a mother and father when it comes to parenting [34:00]
Why balance isn’t possible when competing at the highest of levels [37:30]

Selected Links from the Episode

Kate’s Create Space Guide The Do Less Experiment

Kate’s Twitter Mike’s Twitter Mike’s Website

Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety by Judith Warner

People Mentioned

Belinda Rosenblum Tim Ferriss Tony Robbins
Gary Vaynerchuk

Podcast Details

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2 comments

Staci

January 29, 2017 AT 12:32AM

My whole feeling of work life balance is more about taking back from the work life side and not giving everything to work. I spent too many years giving in and spending time to make everyone else happy at work to not make any gain in my career. Now I’m still single and looking for a new career. The adventure certainly taught me many fantastic things, but bringing it back to more me/life time is a great direction.
There’s never equal, it’s just being the pendulum back the other direction. : )

KatieO

March 10, 2017 AT 10:32AM

Oh my god yes! Finally!! Thank you for being so effing real!! What a relief to hear you totally saying exactly what I’m thinking and feeling. To hear these same feelings of navigating life as a parent and a career coming from successful, inspiring people!! That has been my biggest struggle as a new mom, wife, daughter, friend, student, returning to the workforce and attempting to build my dream career all at the same time!! F you guilt! Ya, easy to say but damn it is so hard to let go of that guilt. Lol.
I totally hear ya with the struggles of wtd when my daughter has one of those days where she won’t let me put her down. What do I do? Laugh, cry, try desperately to put her down for a nap to get at least a moment of freedom, surrender…all of the above. Ha! And she will never do that to hubby! He does the same Mike. He can totally read her a book or put on some Raffi and eventually she will be satisfied and go play on her own so he can return to chillin out on reddit, orwhathaveyou. Life.
Anyway, listening to this podcast today while I do the dishes has allowed me to take a deep breath and know that it’s ok. I’m doing a great job. Everyday will be a new learning curve and different things will work or not. Keep keeping it real. So freeing to know not ever moment of your life needs to be perfect to be successful. You can still grow, learn, adapt, change and love the process. Thank you.