Work/life balance – definitely a buzzword that’s been overplayed yet underachieved. When we set out to forge a different path, that was actually one of our pursuits. What does this life look like when you don’t work all day, come home, eat, and then are too tired to exist. What does it look like to thrive and how could we do it?
In March of 2022, we took off in search of the answer – and spoiler alert, we didn’t find it right away. After landing in Phuket, Thailand, we rested on the beach under the sun and let the rays calm our chaos. We ate delicious pad thai and tom kha (among many other dishes, because what Thai food could ever be bad). Mariya tested the limits of her stomachs with street food (Sam had already learned her lesson). We played pickleball and got sunburnt. We island hopped and road tripped (and even learned a little Thai). But, wait a minute, we were in pursuit of balance and this just flipped the scales the other way. We were calm and relaxed but definitely not hitting all of our work goals. We learned the lesson that if this is going to be our life – and not just a vacation – we needed structure.
With the different time zones and our night owl dispositions, it wasn’t too difficult to find a balance that allowed us to have it all. We started our days a little later – around lunch time – and then had a good 6 or so hours for some fun in the sun before beginning our workday at 7 PM in Thailand, which aligned perfectly with working hours in the US, and wrapped it up around 2 AM. Even with working the same amount of time, by working in the evenings we had more daylight and energy to pursue our personal interests during the day. Honestly, it was the best working structure we had ever implemented.
So – we encourage you to push the limits and find a structure that allows you to thrive and not just exist. Life’s long and like Matthew McConaughey says, “Ya just gotta keep livin.”
WanderGays 