Quote Originally Posted by Stolly View Post
I find this thread really interesting but I'm kind of flumoxed as to what my own perfect work~life balance is; like everyone I'm sure its full of compromises, checks and balances and sure as eggs is eggs if you spend you're whole life seeking perfection a) you'll never get there and b) if you did actually get there you wouldn't recognise it and continue to seek more and more. In many ways its often the crap or mundane parts of life that make the fun and exciting stuff that much more appreciated. Take me for instance...

I live in a truly wonderful part of the country --- hooray!
I work in Leeds, 42 miles away --- boo!
I love being out in the wilds, whether running a ridge line, swimming in a lake or wandering through a forest --- hooray!
I spend all my time at work either in meetings, in an office or stuck in a car travelling to meetings or the office --- boo!
I earn a pretty good salary and have a not too shabby company car --- hooray!
I'm still broke, still have a big mortgage and no longer like my car and want a newer/better one --- boo!
I totally adore my kids and am fantastically proud of both of them --- hooray!
I have a tough time with the missus --- boo!
I have a realistic/unrealistic (depending on your viewpoint), wonderfully, and probably naively, enthusiastic, slightly sarcastic, flippant and laxidasical outlook on life --- hooray!
I have a realistic/unrealistic (depending on your viewpoint), wonderfully and probably naively enthusiastic, slightly sarcastic, flippant and laxidasical outlook on life --- boo!

Oh and sometimes less isn't more; I also love reading, watching films, yes lounging about on settee watching TV, playing the odd video game, watching football on TV (yep the big TV is mine, all mine for the duration of the world cup) and even drinking the occasional beer and the odd glass of wine.

So sue me
Sounds a pretty good balance of a bit of everything to me Stolly !

There must be some truth is the statement "you can have too much of a good thing" I reckon - would we start to appreciate the good things in life less if we could have/do whatever we wanted at any time. (Or would we all be as happy as pigs in mud all of the time! Maybe! )

My work/life balance is weighing too much on the work side of things this year.
I work in London, live in Nottingham & spend a hell of a lot of time on trains and not enough time with loved ones and doing things I enjoy.

But I like my job, I am good at it and proud of my work achievements, so at least I am not dragging myself out of bed every day to go somewhere I hate. I WANT to be here - just not quite so much as I am and without the overheads on my time (and drain on my energy sometimes). Hopefully what I am doing now lead on to better things, closer to home, which will bring with it a more equal balance, with enough money to be able to afford somewhere nice to live and come home to.

So I am not complaining.

Well no actually yes I am complaining. I need an extra day in the week to fit more good stuff into. Or maybe 2. Or maybe a teleportation machine. That would work