this edition of the [no hustle] huddle went out on Monday 10th July 2023

Welcome to the huddle,

You’ve been fed a lie your entire life …

It’s one of those “good intentions” lies. Its heart is in the right place, and once upon a time, it was less of a lie and more of an unattainable goal (for most).

But these days it’s a straight-up impossibility.

Not even Tom Cruise could fulfill this mission.

We’re talking about Work/Life Balance. Yeah, I know, it’s the holy grail and what we’re all supposed to pursue. If we do, we will someday reach that perfect sweet spot where we have all the monies and all the freedoms and all the wants we ever could want. The issue is, it’s as mythological today as Zeus and unicorns.

And that’s because this world, if you haven’t noticed, is fast-paced, to say the least, and built differently than the one our ancestors inhabited.

There was a time people went into offices and worked set hours.

There was a time work was left at work, your home exactly that.

That’s no longer the case. Today, remote working is a thing. Email and social media and Zoom allow us to work from anywhere and at any time. And these expectations are fully expected these days, by employers and yourself.

Just a quick email… just a quick meeting… just a quick read-through of notes.

The line between work and life is blurred, at best!

And it’s a line that will only get blurrier in the coming years.

So pursuing such balance is folly, my friend. All it leads you on is a path of guilt and the feeling of failure as you continuously struggle to keep up with the pace of life.

But there is another way, similar to work/life balance but different enough to change your entire perspective of how you approach everything.

It centers around the word INTEGRATION … there’s a video below that talks more about this—as well as a few other resources to guide you on your way.

from the [no hustle] community

From Work-Life Balance to Work-Life Integration: Myth vs Reality — In this video, we dive deeper into the modern problems of work/life balance and how switching to whole-life integration can transform every facet of your world.

5 Books To Help You Build Whole Life Balance — After years of exploration, here are a few books to help you move from work/life balance to Whole Life Balance & Integration…

3 actions to take this week

? bookmark this → a thought-provoking piece from Travis Bradberry that explores how “smart” people deal with the stresses and pressures of everyday life.

? listen to this → I LOVE this conversation Mitch Joel has with Johann Hari about our growing struggles with focus and attention in today’s far-too-fast world.

? DO THIS → Get Clear on your Current Priorities — take some time to think about your current chapter of life and what matters the most to you in the here and now. There is no integration until you become aware of what you need to integrate.

this week’s featured book

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho — one of the most transformative books I’ve ever read and one I re-read whenever I enter a new chapter in life. When it comes to adding greater “balance” and integration into your world, this book opens your eyes in ways you cannot imagine — each read-through reveals new revelations.

?️ pass the mic

Ari Meisel is the person who introduced me to this concept of integration and how it differs from balance. He’s the perfect embodiment of how life (your life!) naturally evolves and takes you through differing chapters; each one contrasting & nuanced.

Every time I speak with Ari, he seems to be exploring something new (right now, entering local politics) yet it’s done in a manner so effortless and natural. I sense it’s because he doesn’t try to balance his work and life, instead integrating the aspects that matter to him at this moment in time. That forever changes, which is the whole point and where the idea of “balance” cracks and falters.

? drop the mic

Work/life balance is simply too binary; black and white.

It forces you to see life as a set of scales, forever adding new pieces to each side in the hope you can find a perfect period of peace.

Life (your life!!) is far more complex than that.

I liken it to standing on a ball, the competing forces coming at you from every conceivable angle. Rather than adding or removing pieces, you make micro-adjustments to stay on top.

Yet there is no perfect period of peace when balanced on a ball.

Any such moment you experience is fleeting at best.

Instead, life (your life!!!) is about being present in your current chapter. This chapter you’re in may last weeks, months, years … it’s unique and different from the others, and no one in the future will look or feel the same.

That is both beautiful and terrifying, I know…

All any of us can do is embrace what’s in front of us. Integrate the aspects that matter and make the most of the situation. I sense that’s always been the case, but it’s more essential than ever in today’s fast-paced and unrelenting world.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this week’s huddle … if you have and know someone who needs to read it, please forward it to them & ask them to subscribe.

Until next time, my friend … thank you for being you.

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