If I have to split my time between living and working, I might as well just merge the two together, given the opportunity is present to redefine what productivity means to me.
I think for the most part, the line between the two is becoming increasingly blurry and in many ways. The first way is obviously how work itself is evolving before our eyes.
Both the input and output, as in the effort I put and the tangible results I see—or sometimes don’t see—in this digital era.
I used to believe work was primarily about clocking in, grinding through a set number of hours, and leaving with something concrete to show for it. Now, it’s more fluid. A quick brainstorm on my phone while I’m grabbing a cup of tea can also be considered as "work".
Just the other night, I was up past midnight tinkering with a side project I’d been mulling over for weeks.
What started as a routine task turned into this rush of clarity, like I wasn’t working but uncovering something I’d been chasing all along. It hit me then and there that this doesn’t feel like a job. It felt like just being myself doing what I enjoy, as cliché as it might sound.
A Sense Of Structure
I don’t think the idea of pursuing a career will go away anytime soon.
Because there’s an aspect of structure to it, a definitive guide, so to speak, that a person can follow to move from point A—say, an entry-level gig—to point B, maybe a corner office or a title that sounds impressive at dinner parties, if so they prefer.
That ladder still appeals to me on some level. Since it’s comforting to have a map.
This is largely nonexistent for those that ditched the traditional career(such as myself) pursuing something less linear.
With the latter, there’s no handbook or annual review to tell you you're definitely on track.
But needless to say, both categories will have to contend with the uncertainty and unpredictability of a world where global shifts can rewrite the rules overnight.
There's a sense of unease whenever I wonder if the skills I’m honing today will even matter in five years.
Always Online Even When Offline
The second way that the line between living and working is becoming blurry has to do with this aspect of living being so intertwined with constant connectivity.
I can’t remember the last time I fully “logged off.”
Some days, I sketch ideas for a project while binge-watching a show. Not sure whether I'm enhancing my creativity or just avoiding full immersion in either activity. I guess, it’s not always a bad thing. It's just different.
I wonder how long was the separation between work and life outside of work with older generations.
But I’ve learnt that one of the ways in which the line started becoming blurry is when technology crept into every corner of our lives. A time when work stayed at work, and home was sacred may be nothing more than nostalgic mythology at this point.
So this tells me that the boundaries we once took for granted are dissolving, and we’re the ones who have to redraw them(or decide if we even want them at all).
Little Operating Systems
A trick I like to employ is viewing life as one giant continuum and work merely as a thread woven into it, not a separate block of time.
Such a trick shifts the perspective on the individual to focus on what feels meaningful in the moment, with the aim of systemizing work to the point that it becomes an extension of who I am rather than a chore I clock into.
For example, tweaking my schedule so I’m writing when inspiration hits, not just when the calendar says I should.
Speaking of systems, doesn’t it feel like we’re all building our own little operating systems for life now?
I mean, I’m constantly tinkering with how I balance—or blend—living and working. Not so recently, I've watched documentaries of people my age who bounce between contracts, living wherever Wi-Fi works, and I’m over here wondering if I could pull that off too.
I wonder if in ten years, we’ll even bother labeling things “work” and “life,” or if it’ll just be one big, messy experiment with no definitive objective metric to solve for.
I’m kind of rooting for the latter. Because if I can keep having those late-night epiphanies where I lose track of the line entirely, I think I’ll be okay with that.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.
When I get inspired to write, I hold down the thoughts till I have the opportunity to write. Although I'm never in lack for inspiration except something is wrong. Nowadays I think the Internet makes it difficult for us to completely log off.
Definitely, especially having almost everything we do involve the internet one way or another. For me, it's easier to write down the main thread of an idea/topic when inspiration hits, then visit it later to expand on it.
Thanks for stopping by :)
Sometimes it's also easier when you write for the fun and thrill, you find yourself being more creative.
Definitely, words flow effortlessly without any prejudice of how it'll be taken by the reader :)
I am still in a third world city and this description of the world is not yet so strongly rooted here, but I also notice how slowly the line between work and personal life is blurring.
Yes, it's gradually becoming a global level of change. Sometimes, it's the people that haven't fully embraced it yet either unintentionally or intentionally.
Thanks for stopping by :)