Housework is an unavoidable, time-consuming labour-intensive reality of adulthood. Whether you own your own home or rent, live alone, with friends, strangers or family members, the house-keeping tasks that make a house a home need doing. The part that home-making plays in a person’s work-life balance varies from person to person. The subject of “domesticity” doesn’t always come up when I interview people about how they balance their work with everything else in their life. For some, home-making forms part of a person’s ambition; for others it’s a chore that stokes up emotions of guilt and resentment. For others it just doesn’t come up as part of the work-life balance equation. In this ‘Work, Life, Balance Lessons’ episode, I share a summary of the lessons I’ve learned about the impact that house-keeping, home-making, and domesticity have on the pursuit of balance. Below are links to the blog posts and podcast episodes referenced in this episode: Finding Balance When the ‘To-Do List’ is Never Done: Kerry’s Story on Solo Motherhood, Job-Sharing, and the Lure of the Expatriate Lifestyle: https://a-fine-balance.com/2023/06/07/finding-balance-when-the-to-do-list-is-never-done-kerrys-story-on-solo-motherhood-job-sharing-and-the-lure-of-the-expatriate-lifestyle/ “Stay at home, Mum”: Nadine’s Story – on opting out of a career path & valuing a mother’s presence: https://a-fine-balance.com/2021/11/16/stay-at-home-mum-nadines-story-on-opting-out-of-a-career-path-valuing-a-mothers-presence/ Ali’s Story – Artistic License: When ‘work’ is life, and ‘life’ is work – Dyslexia and the Trappings of Domesticity: https://a-fine-balance.com/2021/02/24/alis-story/. Sarah’s Story – Motherhood and the Mental Load: marriage, self-employment and primary care-giving: https://a-fine-balance.com/2020/10/14/sarahs-story-motherhood-and-the-mental-load-marriage-self-employment-and-primary-care-giving/. 'A Fine Balance - The Podcast', Season 1: Episode 5: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dalya-wittenberg2/episodes/Sarahs-Story-on-marriage--self-employment--primary-care-giving---Motherhood--the-Mental-Load-e1d1126 'A Fine Balance - The Podcast', Season 3:Episode 4: On Housekeeping, Middle Age, and the Pursuit of Balance When Your Marriage Comes to an End – Helen’s Story https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dalya-wittenberg2/episodes/On-Housekeeping--Middle-Age--The-Pursuit-of-Balance-When-Your-Marriage-Ends---Helens-Story-e2ffml8 'A Fine Balance - The Podcast', Season 3:Episode 2: Finding Balance by Turning Your Passion into a Side Hustle: Bettina’s Story - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dalya-wittenberg2/episodes/Finding-Balance-by-Turning-Your-Passion-into-a-Side-Hustle---Bettinas-Story-e2ea401