Post by Faye Lim

Everyone’s version of “balance” is different. And whether there's "work-life balance" is a common question many applicants ask in law job interviews. When I ask what it means for them, most define it as 8 hours work, 8 hours sleep and 8 hours personal / leisure time. It keeps me wondering whether the 8-8-8 system is what young people commencing their careers should really follow? When starting out any career or profession, I don’t think anyone can expect to succeed on an 8-hour 5 days’ work approach. Skill = Volume + Feedback. It’s all about putting in the hours + getting feedback (and hopefully learning from it), until you’ve built the skill. And if you put in 12-20 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, you master your art sooner. It doesn’t mean you have to not rest; guess it just means how you define your “balance”. I always tell my younger colleagues: “it gets easier with time”. Because it really does. But that doesn’t mean anyone should stop working hard – especially if it is to hone a particular skill even more. Balance after 12 years of working full time now is a whole lot different than during my 1st year in practice. So what really constitutes work-life balance to you? (especially the Gen-Zs)🤔😊