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Happy Sunday, pals!

London had snow this week so I’m a miserable little expat Canadian. To warm myself up, I’m going to give you a little pep talk about work/life balance and why it’s kinda bs. Enjoy.

In today’s issue

• ⚡️ Lightning List - What I’m reading this week

• ⚖️ Juggling work and life? - Drop it like it’s hot.

• ⭐️ Community Spotlight - Malt’s AI-enabled hiring

• 💰️ Sponsor - Deel

⚡️ Lightning List ⚡️ 

💅 Work/Life Balance? We Don't Know Her

Pals, we need to talk. You're still out here trying to achieve this mythical "work/life balance" and it's time for a reality check.

🚫 The Balance Myth

Let's be honest - you're one whole person. You can't just slice yourself into neat little boxes labeled "work mode" and "life mode" like you're meal prepping your personality for the week. That's not how humans work.

This obsession with "balance" is literally making you:

• Feel guilty when you answer personal texts during work hours

• Feel guilty when you answer work emails during personal hours

• Pretend you don't have kids/pets/feelings during meetings

• Hide your authentic self because it's "unprofessional"

I’m as tired of watching you do it as you are tired of doing it. So let’s reframe.

🌟 Enter: Work/Life Integration

Instead of trying to be two different people, what if - stay with me here - you just became really good at being YOU? All the time. Everywhere.

The data backs this up. A recent Deloitte study showed that 86% of Gen Zers and 89% of Millennials say having a sense of purpose is important to their overall job satisfaction and well-being. You know what kills purpose? Pretending to be someone else and masking 40+ hours a week.

👏 How to Actually Do This

Let me break it down for you:

1. 👊 Stop apologizing for being human

   • Kid crashes your Zoom? Wave them hello instead of panicking

   • Dog barking? Introduce them to the team

   • Having a rough day? You're allowed to say "I'm not at my best today"

2. 🙅 Set honest boundaries (not artificial ones)

   • Instead of "I don't work after 5PM," try "I'm available for emergencies, but I prioritize family dinner from 6-7PM"

   • Replace "I don't check email on weekends" with "I check messages once daily on weekends for urgent items"

3. 🐶 Bring your interests to work

   • You're obsessed with Taylor Swift? Cool, use her lyrics in your presentations

   • Love gaming? Talk about how it improves your problem-solving skills

   • Into meditation? Start meetings with a breathing exercise

4. ♻️ Take your work skills home

   • Project management? Perfect for planning family vacations

   • Negotiation skills? Great for dealing with toddlers

   • Strategic thinking? Excellent for meal planning

🫖 But Here's the Tea

The workplace isn't changing fast enough. While most companies say they support bringing your "whole self" to work, only 26% of leaders create psychological safety for their teams.

cough cough Guys… wth 🙃 most of you are leaders reading this so… smarten up? I dunno.

If you want to know how it’s done right, here’s an example. I was a guest at a PowertoFly event this week and the host did a fantastic job of encouraging people to come on camera. She said “We want to meet you where you are. Whether you’re listening while cooking dinner, in bed relaxing, or out on a walk. Feel free to hop on camera with no judgment.”

💅 The Reality Check

Here's the thing: you're not going to thrive by compartmentalizing your existence. You're going to thrive by:

• Being authentically you

• Setting real, human boundaries

• Finding workplaces that truly walk the talk

• Calling out toxic "professionalism" when you see it

🌈 The Future is Integrated

The next generation isn't here for this split-personality nonsense. They're demanding authenticity, flexibility, and human-centered workplaces. And honey? They're right.

So stop trying to balance. Start integrating. And if your workplace can't handle the real you? That's not a you problem - that's a them problem.

Remember: You're not a Google Calendar that can be carved into perfectly organized blocks of time. You're a whole human being with messy, beautiful complexity.

Own it. 💅✨

⭐️ Community Spotlight ⭐️ 

Eleven years ago, Malt started empowering companies to work with the best freelancers and create “superteams”. Today, they're taking it even further with AI Search and a host of new features to build “superteams” effortlessly.

Check out their announcement post and video here! 👇️ 

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That’s all for now, pals. See ya next week.

Eryn