You are a young child again. Imagine balancing blocks as high as possible before they fall over.

Then imagine fitting those shapes into the box where they only fit in their specific right spot.

Which seems more certain, less precarious?

I was recently introduced to the concept of work-life-fit as opposed to work-life-balance. Cali Yost coined the term as a way to think about fitting the parts of our lives together (including work) as opposed to the term balance which carries the connotation with working less to do more of the other things in life.

At first I didn’t see how this concept made a difference. But then I realized that who wants to balance everything at once? How long does balancing usually last? Usually I think of balancing something as working for awhile – until it doesn’t work and everything comes crashing down.

But fitting – well, that means something is just right. Sometimes circumstances change and what once fit no longer does, but at least in the time being it works.

The thing is – we don’t all have the same fit. That box you recalled moments ago when you were a child – we all have different boxes with different shapes. And our boxes change over time.

What’s your box now? What are the shapes? And how do they fit together?