Today I came across a quote from Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables. The quote is: “To put everything in balance is good, to put everything in harmony is better.” So often we hear about work-life balance, and we think we should strive to achieve that. However, logistically, this is not possible.

With 24 hours in a day, when you subtract eight for sleeping (a dream for some, I know), nine for the workday, one for commuting, and two for taking care of family, you are left with only four hours. How can anyone believe that four hours of free time is a balanced day?

Instead, let us try to put everything in harmony, as Victor Hugo suggests. So, when you have those precious four discretionary hours, do you leave work at work, or are you distracted by the work to-do list that you left with four things still unaccomplished? When you finally take that much-needed vacation, are you still checking emails and writing responses, or are you truly vacated?

At a conference I attended years ago, I heard a speaker say, “Wherever you are, be there.” This is something he preached to his kids about being present in the moment and not texting with friends while having a conversation with adults or checking social media stats during the evening meal. This worked both ways, and his kids called him on the carpet using his quote when he was dealing with a work issue at home, after hours.

Yes, going for harmony sounds better and more achievable than balance. However, is this easy? Well, easier said than done in many instances. A trick I use is to ask myself, “Is there anything I can do about the situation right now?” If the answer is no, then I have just given myself permission to put the topic out of my head and be present where I am. This is how I put everything in harmony rather than balance. May this work for you, and if not, then may you find a way for you to get to that harmonious state more easily.