Balance is B.S: how to have a work life blend

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Disclaimer ix

Acknowledgments xi

Part I Balance Is Bullshit

1 Rising without Compromising 3

2 The Myths That Keep Us Down 9

3 Balance Is Bullshit: Blend Instead 15

Part II A Workbook for Rising Women

4 “Moving Up” versus Rising: How to use this book to lift up every area of your life 21

5 V Squared: How to know your values and know your value 27

6 Vision Boards Are Bullshit: How to set effective goals 43

7 It’s All About the Journey: How and why to write your bucket list 55

Self

8 Filling Up Your Soul: How to stay stable and ride the roller coaster 61

9 Breaking Out of Your Bubble: How to keep growing into the person you want to be 89

Work

10 Choose Your Own Adventure: How to make career moves that match your values 97

11 Work-Life Blend: How to ditch balance and get people on board with blending 109

12 When Breadwinning Doesn’t Feel Like “Winning”: How to cope with pressure and keep your financial promises 123

Personal

13 “Thanks for asking”: How to name expectations, make agreements, and carry your own bags 135

14 “Mommy, don’t go!”: How to get over guilt and be the parent you want to be 149

15 The Business of Family: How to build culture and be a leader at home 173

16 Territory versus Tribe: How to foster friendships that bring out your best 185

17 Why Blending Matters: How to get laser focus to create your legacy 195

Part III Keep Blending for Life

18 Things to Do Because I Want To: Build your own blended life 211

Conclusion: What’s Next? 215

Index of Coaching Exercises 217

Index 219

DESCRIPTION
Combine the best parts of your personal and professional life to live the life you really want

Balance is B.S. is an unflinching and honest look at the challenges today’s working woman faces in balancing her professional and personal lives. In the United States, women comprise over 40% of household income. Increased gender diversity in the modern business landscape continues to have a positive impact on bottom lines and revenue reports across the economy, and offers significant benefits for ambitious women in the workplace. This increase of women in the workforce does present a serious problem—women are working longer and harder outside of the home, but their workload has not lessened inside of the home. While their career prospects rise, expectations of their family and personal lives remain flat. Women pursue the mythical “work-life” balance, and feel guilty for not reaching it. There is a better way.

This insightful book provides working women with real-world advice, enabling them to blend their personal and professional lives, avoid burning out, and raise expectations of themselves and those around them. Every chapter presents practical exercises to identify values, and focus on what matters most. Following the path laid out by this essential guide, you will learn how to:

Blend business and personal lives together without compromising your values
Adjust expectations of yourself and others around you
Use practical exercises and effective techniques to combine work, social, family, and parenting lives
Stop feeling guilty about your work-life balance, and embrace the best parts of both
Balance is B.S. is an invaluable resource for working women regardless of profession, experience, and status. Author Tamara Loehr draws on her years of entrepreneurial success to share her proven methods of merging work, play, and family to map out and reach the life you actually want to live.