by Chrysta Bairre | Featured Contributor
Is work-life balance an outdated concept? These days I rarely hear of employers touting work-life balance to entice top talent and I see very few articles proclaiming the importance of balance. This is a significant shift from the focus placed on work-life balance just a few years ago.
Do women in business no longer care about having balance in their lives? I don’t believe that for a second! It wasn’t until I attended a recent Women Who Startup event that I understood why work-life balance has become less important and less talked about. During the event, I heard the term, “work-life integration”.
Women aren’t pursuing work-life balance because there can be no true balance between work and life. Work and life are never equally distributed. We’re always entrepreneurs, just as we’re always wives, mothers, friends, etc. Today’s new generation businesswoman is striving for work-life integration.
We’re no longer trying to balance two separate parts of our lives. We’re integrating work and life- creating a life that works for us.
Women entrepreneurs understand integration better than anyone. Most of us are solopreneurs; we’re a one woman show. We’re masters of our craft and we’ve stretched ourselves to be masters of most aspects of our businesses. In our personal lives we’ve mastered family, love, and personal happiness.
We’re no longer trying to separate ourselves into boxes throughout the day- 4 hours as a parent, 8 hours as an entrepreneur, 2 hours as a spouse, 1 hour as a friend, etc. We’re all of these things all of the time and it’s about time we allowed ourselves to be the complete people we are.
Work-life integration means we redefine work and life and embrace the complexities of our lives.
As an entrepreneur, I set my own schedule. I work when my energy and creativity is at it’s highest, and perform simple tasks like washing dishes or doing the laundry when my energy and creativity is at it’s lowest. Some days I take an afternoon power nap to recharge. This is work-life integration.
How are you integrating your work and your life for a more successful and happier you?
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Chrysta Bairre is a nerdy, quirky, happy-go-lucky entrepreneur and Confidence Coach with a passion for helping women recognize and communicate their value in business.
Chrysta is the founder of Live Love Work, an online resource that bridges the gap between personal and professional development to inspire women to love their work and their lives while being all-around awesome!
A work-life balance and happiness expert, Chrysta may be seen skipping down the sidewalk or riding her Buddy 125 scooter down the road with a huge smile on her face.
With 20+ years in business management, accounting, finance, and human resources, Chrysta uses her experience as a career and business coach to help women stand up, stand out, and get recognized.
Chrysta currently serves on the Board of Directors for Dance Express, a dance troupe for persons with and without disabilities. She is also a foster volunteer for Larimer Humane Society.
She shares her home in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband and a flurry of furry children.
Want more Chrysta? Here’s where you find her!
Twitter @livelovework
Facebook Live Love Work
Yeah, you got this! Go out and be awesome!
