🛠️ James Clear’s best tips for work-life balance

The 2-minute weekly newsletter for high-performance dads. 

Question: Is work-life balance possible?

Answer: (James Clear) One way to think about work-life balance is with a concept known as The Four Burners Theory. Here’s how it was first explained to me:

Imagine that your life is represented by a stove with four burners on it. Each burner symbolizes one major quadrant of your life.

1. The first burner represents your family.

2. The second burner is your friends.

3. The third burner is your health.

4. The fourth burner is your work.

The Four Burners Theory says that “in order to be successful you have to cut off one of your burners. And in order to be really successful you have to cut off two.”

My initial reaction to The Four Burners Theory was to search for a way to bypass it. “Can I succeed and keep all four burners running?” I wondered.

Soon I realized I was inventing these workarounds because I didn’t want to face the real issue: life is filled with tradeoffs. If you want to excel in your work and in your marriage, then your friends and your health may have to suffer. If you want to be healthy and succeed as a parent, then you might be forced to dial back your career ambitions. Of course, you are free to divide your time equally among all four burners, but you have to accept that you will never reach your full potential in any given area.

Essentially, we are forced to choose.

What is the best way to handle these work-life balance problems? Here are three ways of thinking about The Four Burners Theory.

Option 1: Outsource Burners

We outsource small aspects of our lives to save time. Entrepreneurs can apply this idea by hiring employees, and parents do it by using daycare. Outsourcing keeps the burner running without spending your time on it, but it may lack personal meaning. Most creators and parents prefer to stay involved, questioning if outsourcing is truly fulfilling.

Option 2: Embrace Constraints

The Four Burners Theory highlights untapped potential, making us wish for more time. Shift your focus from wanting more time to maximizing what you have. Ask, “Assuming a particular set of constraints, how can I be as effective as possible?” Embracing your limitations can lead to better time management.

Option 3: The Seasons of Life

Manage your four burners by breaking life into seasons and focusing on different areas at different times. You don’t have to keep all burners going at once; let something go temporarily and come back to it later. Life allows for seasons of imbalance where you commit fully to one area and rotate through them as needed. As Nathan Barry says, “Commit to your goal with everything you have—for a season.”

The Four Burners Theory reveals a truth everyone must deal with: nobody likes being told they can’t have it all, but everyone has constraints on their time and energy. Every choice has a cost.

(This week’s answer was pulled from James Clear’s blog post “The Downside of Work-Life Balance.”)

DISCLAIMER: All answers have been sourced directly from the thought leader’s words whether it be via newsletter, podcast, blog, YouTube video, book, speech, sermon, etc. Some have been cut down/summarized for brevity. Full answers can be found at the link above.) 

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