Work Life Integration
Not Work Life Balance, Not...
I don’t hear enough people talking about Work Life Integration.
To me, this means our work and our life are integrated.
It’s not Work Life Balance where it’s one or the other, or a 50/50 split throughout your week/month/year.
It’s not taking off one hat and putting on another when you walk through the door.
How does one integrate work and life?
For example: Last night I went to an industry networking event. 120+ people in the room, all connected to the wedding/events world. Was this a work event or a social event? Two of my closest friends in New York were there. My friends who I’ve spent the last five Christmases with. Also, people in my book club. People I’ve shared meals with, cried with. Had jobs with. Will do future jobs with. For me, this was both a work event and a social event.
If it was only work, I’d probably be miserable. If it was only social, I’d probably be broke.
It’s not just a coincidence that I happen to love the people I do work with. This is intentional and by design. My entire life is by design. I leaned into a line of work that provided me the freedom I wanted in my life (my highest value) and that matched my personality. It almost didn’t matter how much money I would make from this work at the beginning, I would always be happy and fulfilled.
When I photographed my wedding in St. Barths two weeks ago, I got to work with one of my favorite wedding planners in the world, Jenn Johnson. The day before the wedding we all had dinner together, and the Sunday after the wedding we had a family style BBQ at her Airbnb. Photographing the wedding was a joy, because I was working with someone I loved
I don’t believe we should be living a life of Work Life Balance, where we try to juggle a decision between family, friends, and work.
My other planner friend Meena Lee brings her husband with her to all her conferences. He is friends with her friends (me). I just went to their daughter’s graduation party at their home.
I’m sure there are plenty of excuses coming up for folks in settings that seem impossible to blend. I want to challenge the “no, this can’t work for me because of x, y, and z,” and ask you to find the “yes” to Work Life Integration. It might take time, but I think we could all be living our best lives with people we love.
The real hard part is that if something isn’t working for you, it’s probably time to change it.
I love the sound of your life. It sounds warm and fluid and full of people you genuinely care about. You painted a really lovely picture.
I also felt a little pang reading it, because for me ‘work-life integration’ has often just meant no off switch and no real rest. Friends who became clients and work that felt like everything. I explore this a lot in my writing… the blur between meaning and burnout.
This was great! Thanks for sharing it