When work and life are out of balance, it becomes abundantly clear. The result of such an imbalance is stress; and lots of it.
When our attention and intention are appropriately distributed between our firm and our family, stress is reduced. This does not mean, equal time in equal proportion. A proper integration allows each role to take precedent and priority when appropriate or necessary.
Sometimes work gets in the way of life and sometimes, life gets in the way of our work.
Small firm architects have a very difficult time keeping work and life separate. As married business partners with a family, it’s impossible. When working from a home office, and when immersed in the daily activities of our children, attempting to keep work and life separate leads only to disappointment and frustration.
So, how do we keep our stress within a reasonable level for architects? (We need to be realistic here… stress isn’t going away as long as we have clients.) How do we balance our time, efforts and attention between our firm and our family?
Success comes when we stop trying to keep them balanced.
