What coffee can teach us about work-nonwork harmony
Like with many other buzzwords “work-life-balance” is the one thing that everyone should be pursuing right now. But what if there actually are other concepts that are more sustainable for our lives and lead to more fulfillment and meaning as a unified whole?
A coffee tasting in Mexico City introduced me to the concept of harmony vs. balance, which was a fascinating new framework. It opened up a new perspective that inspired me to critically reflect about the meaning of work in our lives and see the wisdom of work-nonwork harmony as an alternative to work-life-balance.
Let’s first take a closer look at harmony vs. balance:
Harmony involves seeing areas of life not as separate components of the whole. For example, it is not a practice of trying to optimize work, and then life outside of work independently. It does not try to grow each separate component’s potential until that is exhausted, if not exploited. Harmony is thinking holistically about life, and letting the different parts work together. It is about enabling the pool of needs and desires we have, to be fulfilled by different areas of our lives. Harmony is the experience of a unification of the whole.
What does it mean to have balance?
When it comes to coffee, a flavor is considered balanced if each basic component can be identified as a separate flavor. You taste the sweet and the sour, but balance has no concept of unity. You can take a sip and no matter how sour, sweet or intense each moment may be, if they are equally intense it can be said to be balanced. That reminded me much of the often-used phrase “Work Hard, Play Hard”. It is a common experience of people that they work hard and, even if they feel tired, still feel the urge to balance out the hard work with another experience of intensity which might exhaust them even more.
But instead of being overwhelmed by intense sweetness and then sourness, what if you could enjoy a unified flavor all the way through?
Get Pineapple Girl’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
So…What can coffee teach us about work-nonwork harmony?
A harmonious taste describes an experience where the components are not just balancing each other out but they are interacting with one another. They are accentuating each other. The perceived flavor is not one momentary constant but is rather evolving through different stages which leaves a sensation on our palate. It is a journey that is experienced.
Harmony exists if complex interactions, despite their contrast, leave us with a sensation of a unified whole. It is profound and exhibits a relationship between the elements. Our attention might be drawn to different aspects at different stages. They are not experienced as seemingly disparate flavors, but each element contributes to this harmonious sip.
Instead of seeking balance why don’t we ask ourselves what could bring more harmony into our lives? How can different aspects of work and nonwork harmonize each other? How can different parts of life accentuate each other?
Life in all its complexity should be considered as a unified whole to achieve sustainable long-term well-being. A harmonious lifestyle ultimately requires us to think about a deeper meaning that aligns with our life-script and helps us to make decisions accordingly. Which elements of life do support your overall meaning?
Taste is a very personal and subjective matter. To know what we like, we also have to embrace discomfort and try new things to expand our minds (and palates). So, explore yourself and let your taste buds go on a journey full of experiences to appreciate the harmonious taste, that’s core is found in individuality.
As a prompt for self-reflection, consider these questions on the topic of work-nonwork harmony:
1. What might your next week look like from a perspective of harmony, rather than balance?
2. Where is your life overpowering sweet or sour? What could you explore and try to do different in this area?
