Here at Convergence Design, we reject the notion of work-life balance, although we take the idea very seriously. To us, the phrase “work-life balance” suggests that “work” and “personal life” are two separate categories that must be kept in separate containers lest a toxic mixture result. We believe the opposite: that work and personal and community commitments should be merged into a seamless whole that might be called “life.” Work is not antithetical to life: it is an integral part of life. The whole idea of Convergence (as in Convergence Design) is predicated on this notion.

So it was with some joy that I clicked on the link to this Harvard Business Review article titled, “The Myth of Work-Life Balance.” http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/the_myth_of_work-life_balance.html

Here, I hoped, I might find some Harvard Business Review-level validation for our point of view. Sadly, I found the opposite. The author of this piece is addressing what he refers to as “C-level” executives. For those of you who don’t speak business-ese, C-level means corner office types: chief executive, chief financial officer, chief marketing executive, etc. Aside from the fact that the article is addressed to the one percent, not the ninety-nine, the point he makes–if there is one–is bleak. Forget work-life balance, he’s saying. Your work consumes all your waking (and most of your sleeping) hours. The best you can hope for is a power nap.

So in the end, the only thing John Beeson and I agree on is that work-life balance is a myth. He sees the myth as being that you can have work-life balance. I see the myth being that work and life are separte entities like poles on a magnet that must be carefully balanced. Beeson says you might as well admit that work is all-consuming. It certainly doesn’t sound like a description of the integrated and seamless life that we seek for ourselves and our colleagues at Convergence Design.