Work-life balance. Or muffins vs. cakes.

You have two muffins. Lucky you.

In your left hand, your ‘work’ muffin. In your right, the ‘life’ muffin.

Traditional thinking would have us believe that peace and prosperity lie in eating both at the same rate without getting too excited about one and letting the other smoosh on the floor.

We know this as work-life balance. And I think it’s ridiculous.

To me, the concept of work-life balance – the holy grail we so valiantly scrabble for – is a fallacy. And it distracts us from the truth of the matter.

There is only life.

And within said life, you must allot an appropriate amount of space, time and energy to work, family, joy, social life, environment, purpose, creativity, finances, education, spirituality, health, activity, and whatever other lovely ingredients you choose to include.

Life is in fact a cake. Work is a slice.

To me, the shift from regarding work as separate from life to a part of it is an important one. It changes things. It raises the stakes.

We suddenly understand that this is not a balancing act – an elaborate trick to master – but a question of creating a healthy relationship with the work we do and making space in our lives for the things that are meaningful to us.

I call it the conscious career.

Having experienced work in two very different ways – as an advertising creative and now a wellness entrepreneur – this is my personal definition of a conscious career.

1. Work that serves both me and others in a meaningful way
2. Work that enables me to maintain a healthy body, fulfilling relationships and a creative life
3. The ability to work largely when I want, where I want and with who I want

And this isn’t about how much work I do. It’s about how I do my work. I’m not advocating working less hard, or even working less. I’m talking about choosing to work in a way that allows for fulfilment in every area of life.

And I believe you could do worse at the beginning of the year, than taking time to examine your own definition of a conscious career, and the extent of gap that currently exists between that ideal and your present situation. Only then can negotiations begin.

Only then can you begin apportioning time, energy and resources appropriately between your work and the other loves of your life. And only then can you establish the boundaries and the support you need to see it through.

It may be January, but could it be time to bake a better cake?

Lizzie Nichol is speaking at The Marketing Society Mind, Body and Soul evening, Tue 12 January at Brand Exchange. Find out more here.

Follow her @howweeatnow