Words We Heard: ‘Everybody who’s anybody these days seems to work all the time.’
Our careers, whether it’s a 9-to-5 job or something a little less traditional, take up the majority of our days. Work energizes us and allows us to live out our passions – hopefully, at least, right? It also challenges us and can bring us down. It is simple to search and find any sort of work-life balance tips, but we shouldn’t separate our time into two categories: work and life. Considering work-life integration, as opposed to balance, might be more practical in this day and age, and making our work lives more than just tolerable.
A real key to this is incorporating your own creativity into your work. For me, I try to carry out my responsibilities in my own sort of style so that it stands out as my work and my voice shows. Otherwise, work just feels bland and unoriginal. If I’m not excited about a specific task, I try to find a piece of it that interests me and focus in on that one area. Not only will I be happier doing the things I have to do, but I’ll produce better, genuine work in the long run.
–Ellen
- “Some people are good at office chit-chat, whereas others may have a more ‘slow to warm’ or gruff or aloof personality. Those people may still be very valuable and reliable colleagues, if you take time to learn their strengths and develop relationships.” –Dr. Julie Albright, sociologist from the University of Southern California, in an article on Girlboss
- “In America, everybody who’s anybody these days seems to work all the time. Or at least we think they do, because that’s all we see. We don’t actually see people live their lives outside of work.” –Brigid Schulte, journalist and author, in her article in New York Magazine
- "The thinking behind that law is that it's a discriminatory practice to ask someone about what they made previously because it disproportionately affects women and people of color – who historically make less from the outset of their careers." –Sarah Brafman, an attorney at the legal advocacy organization A Better Balance, in an article on Refinery29
- “If you are no longer challenged by your work, it is very important to get back in the game and get into ‘flow.’ A state of flow is described in positive psychology as immersion in an activity.” –Liz Bentley, career coach, in her advice column in Marie Claire
- “It took two more years and two layoffs, but I finally became a full-time freelance writer in 2002. For 15 years, I’ve had the freedom to tell stories – supporting first myself, then my family. Sometimes it pays to have a short-sighted boss.” –Judi Ketteler, copywriter and storyteller, in her column for Cincinnati Magazine