Is balance worth striving for, impossible to achieve, or just misunderstood?

I’ve been wondering about balance. Work-life balance. Family time. Me-time. Quality time. Downtime. All these different kinds of time we’re supposed to find, organise and somehow fit into the same twenty-four hours.

Has anyone cracked it?

I have occasional days when I think I might have. I’ve done some good work, eaten properly, been outside, caught up with a friend, and remembered to put the washing on before it overflows the basket.

Then I remember the email I haven’t answered, the person I meant to ring, the exercise I haven’t done, and the book I’ve been meaning to read. Apparently not mastered life balance after all.

But I’ve started wondering what we’re actually trying to achieve. I wonder whether the whole conversation about balance has become another way for women to feel they’re not quite getting life right.

We’re told we can have it all. A fulfilling career, happy relationships, a healthy body, a lovely home, close friendships, children who are doing well, and enough time left over to be interesting, relaxed and fun to be around. Preferably while getting eight hours’ sleep. And if we can’t manage all that, perhaps we just need a better diary.

I’m being a little unfair. I know that having some balance can make life feel more manageable. And there are times when something really does need to give. But I’m curious about something.

When we say our lives are out of balance, are we describing how we actually feel, or comparing ourselves with how we think we ought to be living?

And what about the women who seem to thrive on having far too much going on? Or those who have relatively little to juggle but still feel overwhelmed?

Is balance about time? Energy? Responsibility? Choice? Or whether the things filling our days are things we actually want to be doing?

I don’t know.

Which is why I’m looking forward to hearing what other women think.

This Monday, 26th October, at 8pm, our free online Women’s Hour is about The Myth of Balance.

It’s an hour to share experiences, question a few assumptions and hear how other women see things. You can join in or simply listen.

I’m particularly interested in whether balance is something we should be striving for at all.

Or whether we’ve misunderstood what it means.

What do you think?

Come and join the conversation. I’d love to hear.