Work-Life Balance - Trick or Treat?

In the turbo fast pace of modern living I have often wondered how it is that we don’t actually have more time to spare? Everything around us has evolved to suit life ‘on the go’ – breakfast comes in bars to be eaten on the morning train, coffee is pre-brewed en masse and served with ice so we can consume it before clocking in, drive-thru fast food, e-banking, internet shopping, even our Kindles mean we no longer need two hands to turn the newspaper headlines....

You would imagine that, with all of the minutes we gain every day through our touch-button existance, we would in fact generate extra hours by the time a weekend comes around. Ironically, however, automation does not have a button for relaxation. Life in the fast lane is not a place where less is more, it’s a place for more of the same, and with more efficiency. As multi tasking becomes a basic skill for survival, I wonder, what is the price we pay for performance and productivity?  

...In today's life on the run, can taking time-out really be considered the luxury retreat, or is this an urban legend of years gone by, now itself an essential survival item needed to recharge and maintain our stamina in the rat-race?

In truth, being successful with the accessible actually requires a fine-tuned discipline in your personal life –  2 weeks of global travelling tallies a parallel accrual of mobile massage, facials, threading and waxing to keep up appearances, never mind energies. And when the only regular option for sustenance is fast food it is understandable the high street now offers lunchtime lipo to undo the calories consumed from a late brunch, and to re-direct your fillers to your face instead of your sandwich! 

The treatments that we once considered truly a treat could arguably now be an expense item, if not a tax-exempt benefit, if we are to really reach the ripe old age of retirement. So, as I proactively pre-plan my personal priorities to accommodate my next four weeks working schedule I wonder, is the fast pace of modern living racing us through time before our time and do we have to work even harder to turn back the clock?

'Til next time, Pandora