Embracing Chaos Is Smarter Than Seeking An Elusive Work/Life Balance

For many years, busy workers have struggled to find "work/life balance," that elusive state of harmony between professional obligations and personal needs which, we are told, will promote both better performance at work and a happier life at home. However, several trends threaten this equilibrium, including the turbulent economy, Technology Populism, the explosion of employee mobility, and an increasingly global business environment. Workers who still strive for balance will instead find frustration and disappointment as work inevitably creeps into personal life and vice versa. To succeed, workers must embrace work/life chaos instead of fighting to keep it at bay — it is the new world of work. Information and knowledge managers need to understand this trend — both its impact on their own lives and the lives of the knowledge workers they support.