I love a good superhero movie. Superheroes are inspirational and fun to watch, but they also have some very real human qualities. While recently watching the first Black Panther movie, my mind began to think about which superhero has the best life, while protecting and serving.
Batman, for instance, is known as Bruce Wayne by day, and Batman at night. He is a perfect example of someone who has a partitioned way of living. His personal and professional lives as Bruce, a billionaire philanthropist, and Batman, a superhero, never cross. Unfortunately, this division leads both characters to feeling conflicted, alone and separated. By comparison, Black Panther is himself and everyone knows him as the king of Wakanda. Instead of separating his work and personal life, he integrates his work and personal life.
Of course, life is not a superhero movie. But there are some parallels between the way these characters fight crime and juggle their home lives, and our work-life demands. Cellphones, virtual meetings and other advances make it easier today to stay on top of things at home, while staying apprised of happenings at work. Today, integrating work and life is easier than ever because of society’s evolving workplace and changing technology.
We’ve all heard of the term work-life balance, which involves keeping a clear division between your work life and your personal life, with no intercrossing. By comparison, work–life integration is unifying personal and professional roles and responsibilities in ways that complement each other.
The concept of work-life balance may make sense – up until either your life or work changes. You may enter into a relationship, have children or get promoted with more responsibility at work. For those working in academic health especially, meeting these disparate demands can be a real challenge. Some days, personal obligations must be met during the workday, and other days, work can extend into afterhours or over the weekend. As one’s career and personal life evolve, it is often easier to mesh the two.
With work–life integration, we can reframe our work experience to blend professional and personal life more seamlessly. Integration allows for greater flexibility and efficiency in the workplace, while enhancing personal opportunities for better health and social wellbeing. This can be particularly empowering for women who have professional aspirations but shoulder a disproportionate amount of family obligations.
In the book, “Work Life Integration,” by Paul Blyton, Betsy Blunsdon, Ken Reed and Ali Dastmalchian, our country’s issues of work-life conflict mainly stem from too many of today’s employment systems not evolving much since the 1960s, a time of single-income households. Today, women represent 58% of the U.S. workforce, and two-income and single-parent households are more common. With a majority of women workers and mostly two-income families, our workforce necessitates a different approach to juggling today’s demands. Work-life integration could be one way to meet the needs of a diverse workforce.
A major fear of practicing work-life integration, instead of work-life balance, is the tendency to neglect one area over the other, like making work the priority over your personal needs.
To help structure work-life integration in my life, I focus on three areas that I can control each day. The first is my diet. Eating well is necessary to staying healthy, which is the basis for being able to function effectively. The second is controlling my attitude, which helps me stay positive no matter what adversities I face. And the third is effort. It is unrealistic to expect that you can dedicate 100% effort to everything, every day. Choosing where to focus the most effort and energy is crucial. Sometimes you need to spend your energy on your family. Other times it is to complete an important project at work that will advance your career.
For instance, I use a meal kit delivery service at home to save time on planning and preparing healthy meals so that I can focus on more important tasks. It’s pricey, but depending on what I need to accomplish, it’s worth it for me. Listening to audio books on my commute or working out in the garage, instead of traveling to the gym, are two other ways I try to be more efficient in getting my tasks done. Being more efficient with daily tasks frees up time for friends and family.
To have a successful personal and professional life, you don’t have to be a superhero. But if you'd like to be one, consider emulating Black Panther and try work-life integration.
Michael S. Reddy, DMD, DMSc
Dean, UCSF School of Dentistry
Associate Vice Chancellor, Oral Health Affairs
