Work-Life Balance: A Comprehensive Overview

St. Benedict's advice: Take stock of your existence.
The speaker's turning point at 40: Transition from a corporate warrior lifestyle.
Initial attempt at work-life balance: A year at home revealed the ease of balancing with no work.

The core issue is masked by discussions about flexi-time, dress-down Fridays, and paternity leave.
Core issue: Certain job and career choices are fundamentally incompatible with active engagement with a young family.
Acknowledgment of reality: Many lead lives of quiet desperation, working long hours in disliked jobs to buy unnecessary things and impress people they dislike.
Wearing jeans on Friday doesn't address the fundamental problem.

Governments and corporations won't solve the issue.
Individuals must take control and responsibility for their lives.
Otherwise, someone else will design your life.
Never put the quality of your life in the hands of a commercial corporation.
All companies, even well-intentioned ones, are designed to maximize output from employees.
Childcare facilities in the workplace can increase time spent at the office.
Setting and enforcing personal boundaries is crucial.

Ideal balanced day (example): Wake up well-rested, have sex, walk the dog, breakfast with family, have sex again, drive kids to school, 3 hours of work, sport with a friend, 3 more hours of work, drinks with friends, dinner with family, meditate, have sex, walk the dog, have sex again, go to bed.
This ideal day is unrealistic on a daily basis.
Need to elongate the time frame for judging balance.
Avoid extremes: daily expectations vs. postponing life until retirement (