Five Lightbulbs of a Balanced Life
(For some background on this idea and a very interesting listen, check out Brady Haran and CGP Grey’s "Hello Internet" podcast, episode 3.)
The idea is simple: We humans are awful at multitasking. We can only do something effectively and efficiently if we focus on that one thing. The way I’ve come to see my life, at any one time I am putting my focus into one of five different areas of my life. I’ve named these areas interacting, working, learning, expressing and maintaining. Notice how they all end in “ing”. They are about action. They are about the things that fill my life with meaning and fulfillment and health. I believe we each have these areas in our lives, and I think we should all try to understand them better.
Here’s how they work: Each of these areas is a “lightbulb”. These lightbulbs are only “on” if we’re putting energy into them. The things we do in each bulb’s specific area is what powers it. Over the course of our lives all the bulbs should regularly get some energy, but for each of us, how we divide our energies among them will be different. (Following each of their names are a few specific examples of the way they manifest themselves in my own life.)
Working (being efficient, doing my best, trying wildly different jobs) - We all have to work, even if we don’t have to make money. We work to establish in ourselves a sense of purpose, to keep ourselves sane, to help us to appreciate the weekend. And what we do for work, how we do our work and what we get out of work are the three pillars on which our work-life stands. We try to do what we love or love what we do. We try to do good work, work that others will gain from and that our bosses (if we have any) will appreciate. We get money from our work, usually, but if we’re lucky and a little bit talented and a lot hard-working, we also get a sense of fulfillment.
Learning (school, reading, podcasts) - Being a life-long learner is made up of more than just being a reading, news-conscious individual. It’s about always being curious, always asking questions, digging deeper, looking harder, expanding ourselves further than we thought we could go to reach beyond what we thought was even necessary. It’s only when you get to the edge of the atmosphere that you realize how much further you can actually go.
Expressing (playing piano, Instagram) - I believe everyone is an artist; everyone needs some way to express themselves. Even if you’re not “artistic” and you can’t draw even the stickiest stick-figure (I know I can’t) you still need a way to get what makes you you into the world in a physical (or digital) way. For me it’s as simple as playing piano and keeping an Instagram account that I am very proud of.
Interacting (listening, telling stories, keeping up with long-distance friends) - This is where we deal with people, where our relationships exist. Relationships cannot exist without interaction, and, in some ways, the definition of relationship IS interaction. This bulb is the one that requires us to look outside ourselves. We turn it on to talk to people, to communicate and collaborate, to invest in our friendships and our connections to our family.
Maintaining (40 push-ups, 40 leg-lifts, staying hydrated, sleeping well) - Our body has to run properly if we want to live properly. And that body can’t run on empty. We have to feed it, water it, clean it and exercise it. Sometimes I go through periods in my life where I just do a few stretches every day. Other times I do full-body workouts a few times a week. It’s whatever. Whatever fits my schedule and energy-levels. But I’m always doing something, even if it’s just experimenting with diet and supplements. Our relationship with our bodies is the same as our relationships with people: We have to put energy in if we want to get something out.
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