Work-Life Balance Is a Cycle, Not an Achievement

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Continuous

1. Pause and denormalize (使非规范化，反常规).

停下脚步与反常规化

Take a step back and ask yourself: What is currently causing me stress, unbalance, or dissatisfaction? How are these circumstances affecting how I perform and engage with my job? How are they impacting my personal life? What am I prioritizing? What am I sacrificing? What is getting lost? Only after you take a mental pause and acknowledge these factors can you begin to tackle (应付，处理) them.

For instance, after several years of intense focus on her career, Maya, a senior associate (高级经理，项目经理) at a law firm, described feeling like she’d hit rock bottom. It was only at this point that she was able to recognize the toll (代价) her overwork had been taking on her family — and on her own mental and physical health:

“I was working quite long hours … it was a horrible sort of period … And I think for me, that was the key point. I thought, I am not doing this anymore, this is ridiculous. So, I think from then on (从那时起), I have taken a real step back.”

Similarly, legal partner Kate told us that following the birth of her son, she experienced a major mental shift. She recognized that while the idea of “[I] must work, must work, must work” had been “indoctrinated (灌输，教导) into [her],” she was now aware of the “clash (冲突)” between this idea and “where [she] was now” as a mother. This life-changing event was the impetus (动力) she needed to take a step back, become aware of the mismatch between her current situation and her personal priorities, and begin to denormalize her habit of working long hours.

Of course, the professionals we talked to all led very busy lives. Many of them explained that they didn’t normally have the time or the energy to stop and reflect, and even expressed gratitude for the reflection space that the interview process itself allowed them. But while it’s often a major life event — such as the birth of a child, or the death of a loved one — that catalyzes (催化，刺激) these realizations, it’s possible to take a pause and start rethinking your priorities at any time. And although some professionals may be fine with long work hours, taking the time to think through these questions and acknowledge the tradeoffs (权衡) you’ve made (whether intentional or not) is helpful for anyone looking to discover alternative ways of working and living.

See you tomorrow