by Nora Spinks

Forget balance! Forget the word – not the concept. Think “quality” instead. For years we’ve been talking about achieving work-life balance. Whether you think of balance in terms of a balance sheet that you are trying to reconcile (taking from the life side to add to the career side, or vice versa, in hopes of finding the ever-illusive magic formula), or a balance beam or tight rope, (precarious at best and near impossible when you are running full speed ahead, while being pulled in all directions), the ability to achieve it is frustrating, if not impossible.

Instead of balance, we should be looking at work and life quality; quality of life and quality of work and work experience. As a professional, your aim is to maximize your ability to contribute to the success of your firm through quality improvements and quality enhancements. For example, instead of starting with the premise of “I need balance in my life so I need a flexible work arrangement” start with “In order for me to serve the client to the best of my ability…meet our obligations…fulfill our commitments…ensure consistently high quality service…be the best possible litigator…reach my full potential… my optimal workload is 80% or 37-42 hours per week including billable and non-billable hours.” Then you can start negotiating terms of engagement with your employer.

Follow this simple five-step process and you will likely find it much more comfortable, natural and professional than asking for ‘an accommodation to solve a personal problem.’

Step 1. Eliminate the term ‘work-life balance’ from your personal and professional lexicon. Start thinking in more concrete, measurable, business terms – think ‘work-life quality.’ Reframe your thoughts/message as ‘quality’ and see how much clearer, easier, and professional it is.

Step 2. Define quality of work (individual performance, work experience, contribution to the team/organization, etc.) and what quality of life means to you (having time, energy and resources to… ski, volunteer, participate in your child’s field trips, care for a loved one, etc.).

Step 3. Assess your current quality level and what adjustments need to be made in your behaviour, work arrangements, priorities etc. to reach your quality target.

Step 4. Determine what resources and supports are required to implement a work-life quality improvement plan.

Step 5. Develop a system for continuous quality improvements including regular review of definitions of quality (at least annually – your birthday is a great day for this task); regular assessment of your achievements, accomplishments and contributions to your clients and team at work; your family, friends and loved ones; your professional and personal communities; and most importantly yourself – your health and well-being, your relationships, your dreams, aspirations, interests and passions.

Balance, juggling and harmonizing may require new skills, but for those in the legal profession, articulating, assessing, negotiating and planning are what lawyers do every day. Apply those skills to achieving work-life quality and you will be surprised how easy it can be.

For more information about work-life quality contact Nora at nspinks@worklifeharmony.ca or 1-800-965-2414 or go to www.worklifeharmony.ca.

Nora Spinks is President of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises, an international research and consulting firm based in Toronto.

This article was published in the February 2006 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2006, all rights reserved.