Work-life balance

No matter in which direction you go these days

There is talk about work-life balance in various ways

It seems like there is a sudden urgency to shout

From the rooftops about preventing burnout

So mindfulness workshops are now to be found

At many workplaces, the new idea going around

Is that mindful eating, sitting, breathing are capable

Of resolving all your issues, they can enable 

You to suddenly become doubly productive

At work and and at home, what would you not give

To achieve such a utopian state, so you attend

Seminars and workshops, trying hard to comprehend

How to set aside time for mindfulness in your work day

When the deluge of phone calls and e-mails never goes away…

Other solutions to improve work-life balance exist out there

What about retreat in a quiet mountain resort somewhere?

So you pack your bags, excited about an all expense paid vacation

Only to realize you can’t let your guard down in any conversation

Workplace politics and gossip sneak their way into everything

A loose tongue might be a heavy price to pay for a free drink..

Soon you are wondering if you only this vacation had been

With your family and friends on this lakeside pristine

It might have better restored your work-life balance 

The retreat, you realize is just a clever pretence

To know more about employees outside of workplace

You might not be working, but you get no personal space

Then there are lectures given by motivational speakers

That you are required to attend, they are powerful orators

You come out of the lecture, thinking you are a master

In maintaining work-life balance, the learning couldn’t be faster

But as with everything else, applying it to real life proves to be

Quite difficult, if not impossible, unfortunately..

**

Trust me, yours truly has suffered through 

All of the above, and I can say it is true

That achieving that very elusive work-life balance

Needs a personalized approach and common-sense

Burnout is a real problem, no doubt

To avoid it, all of us need a different route..

 

(Image source: http://www.inc.com)