Think Wellbeing

At some point in the last ten years, the word “balance” became a kind of holy grail in wellbeing conversations. Work–life balance. Balanced meals. Balanced minds. The word sounds calm and admirable. But in practice, it’s become slippery — something we aim for but rarely achieve.

That’s not because we’re failing. It’s because balance might not be the right idea to chase.

What most of us actually need isn’t balance.
It’s rhythm.

We’re not built for balance

Balance suggests stillness. Symmetry. A perfect, unchanging state. But life doesn’t work like that — and neither do we. Human beings are rhythmic creatures.

You sleep in cycles.
You focus in waves.
You breathe in, then out.
Your body temperature, hormones, mood and motivation all follow repeating patterns.

These rhythms aren’t flaws to fix — they’re fundamental. When we respect them, we function better. When we ignore them, things start to fray.

Rhythm is everywhere — except in most workplaces

The irony is, we organise our days as if we’re machines that can be permanently “on.”

We hold back-to-back meetings.
We check emails while eating.
We stay online longer to appear responsive.
We work through dips in energy with coffee and guilt.

It’s no wonder so many people feel like they’re treading water but not getting anywhere. They’re working against their own rhythm — and often, against their team’s too.

The constant context switching, interruptions, and pressure to respond creates a jagged day. There’s no build-up. No flow. No natural rise and fall.

Flow states need rhythm

You’ve probably had moments where work felt easy — maybe even joyful. You got into something, stayed with it, and time passed almost without notice. That’s rhythm.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called it flow — the state where challenge meets skill, and we become deeply absorbed in what we’re doing.

Flow doesn’t happen randomly. It needs space.
It needs focus.
And it absolutely needs rhythm — periods of uninterrupted time to get into a task, and rest or reset afterwards.

Break that rhythm with an email or a meeting? You’re out of the zone. Momentum gone.

Culture either supports rhythm — or breaks it

This isn’t just a personal problem. Workplace culture plays a huge role.

Are people expected to respond instantly to messages?
Are meetings scheduled across lunch hours or deep work time?
Do people feel guilty for pausing, resting, or thinking?

If the answer is yes, rhythm becomes impossible.
And when rhythm breaks, performance drops, wellbeing suffers, and people burn out.

It doesn’t need to be this way.

What better rhythm can look like

This isn’t about rigid schedules or productivity hacks. It’s about paying attention to how energy, focus, and connection rise and fall — individually and as a team.

Here are a few ways to start.

Personally:

Notice your patterns. When do you feel sharp? When do you dip?
Block deep focus time. Even 90 minutes a few times a week can help.
Protect your zone. Mute notifications. Don’t check email “just in case.”

As a team:

Set shared rhythms. A weekly planning session. A midweek pause. Fridays for wrap-up.
Rethink meetings. Can it be shorter? Less frequent? A message instead?
Create quiet windows. Agree on “no meeting” or “no Slack” hours.

Culturally:

Model rhythm from the top. If leaders never pause, others won’t either.
Reward depth, not just speed. Fast replies don’t equal meaningful work.
Normalise rest. It’s not weakness — it’s how we work sustainably.

Rhythm is a way back to yourself

You don’t have to get it perfect. You don’t need to choreograph every minute. Rhythm isn’t about control — it’s about noticing.

You can fall out of rhythm and come back.
You can start a bad rhythm and change it.
You can shift from surviving to sustaining — one beat at a time.

Balance Is a Goal. Rhythm Is a Practice.

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