By Marina Cooley
All too often, I hear from my former students that they are experiencing burnout. They tell me that as soon as they find balance at work, they will get into a hobby.
Unfortunately, balance doesn’t work like that. It’s not a shiny pebble you find on your way to work. If you want balance, the secret is to get a hobby. You’ll naturally be forced to define your boundaries: as a worker, as a parent, and as an individual.
My experiment has come to an end, but hobbies are still an integral part of my life. I’m on a tennis team, I have a standing Mahjong game and I’m learning golf alongside my kids.
The other night, while lying in bed, my 7-year old turned to me and said, “I have so many hobbies.” That’s when I knew, without question, I was modeling something very right.Marina Cooley is an Assistant Professor in the Practice of Marketing at Emory’s Goizueta Business School and a P&W 40 under 40 Best MBA Professor. She is the author of the Substack “Professor Off Duty.” To get more of her insights on work/life balance, find Marina on Instagram @marinacooley.
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