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Live to Work or Work to Live: Which Would You Choose?

Live to Work or Work to Live: Which Would You Choose?

At some point, we all have to decide on our life and work; will we live to work or work to live?

It seems like one of these must always come before the other. We can choose to live for work, where our lifestyle, location, and family must conform to the demands of our job.

Or, we can choose to find an occupation that supports our desired lifestyle.

Some people put their career first, or because of the nature of their job, it becomes the primary focus. Others don’t care what career path they take as long as it doesn’t interfere with family time or their desired lifestyle.

For example, police officers and lawyers don’t have much room outside of their work. At the same time, snowboarders and surfers are notorious for holding temporary jobs that allow them to spend more time riding waves of water or snow..

Is one path better than the other? Maybe, maybe not. However, I believe your finances can be impacted, depending on your choice. It all comes down to priorities.

Live to Work

Let’s face it; some people are just driven. Whether running a multinational corporation or the neighbourhood bake sale, they are internally motivated to get things done. It’s as though they were born to achieve.

If an achiever finds themself without a goal, completion date, or finish line, they will quickly find the next one and pursue it with all they have. Often associated with the type A personality, this type of person can soon become a workaholic whose identity becomes tied to their profession. They live to work, and work-life balance can suffer.

It doesn’t have to happen, providing they can find some middle ground.

Prioritizing your career can prove advantageous. Success at work can provide a sense of accomplishment, and if you pour your energy into growing your job, it only makes sense that your income will increase substantially over time. Money won’t solve all your problems, but it can relieve pressure.

A successful career can be an adventure. You may have opportunities to travel, move across the country, or to Germany or New Zealand. On the flip side, your work may require you to work odd or long hours. And you might have to be away from your family for weeks or months at a time.

But if you live to work, you might see this as a temporary or necessary step towards reaching your dream job, so you make the sacrifice because that is what is required of you.

Work to Live

Everyone has their definition of what it means to work to live. To me, it’s about finding your ideal lifestyle, then designing your career in a way that lets you live it. Perhaps that’s being a stay-at-home mom, travelling the world, living in a ski resort, or moving to Paris.

So, what does working to live look like? If your life’s main priority is to stay at home and raise your kids in a good neighbourhood, you may be willing to stay at a lower-paying job if it means you get to stay in the city where you want your children to grow up.

It might not be the best choice financially, but it is the best choice for you because you are working only to support your life, not for the sake of working.

If you want to travel the world, then you might decide to get a job planting trees or fighting fires. Difficult jobs that require incredible hard work and sacrifice over the short term – but they provide you with enough money to spend six months per year in Thailand.

Working the fast food counter at the ski resort might not be your lifelong desire, but travelling for the entire off-season might be, so you work to support your chosen lifestyle.

Lessons from a Pandemic

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of people worldwide to reconsider what a healthy work-life balance looks like. For over two years, COVID disrupted our lives. Faced with the prospect of serious illness, quarantines and isolation, many realized that they were too focused on earning money and lacked a healthy balance between their work life and home life. It’s a fine line, to be sure.

While the long-term implications of the pandemic have yet to be fully realized, perhaps a shift towards a better work-life balance will become permanent. Hopefully, employers will recognize the importance of supporting a good work-life balance, and take steps to help workers reduce stress and enjoy their personal life. It’s a shift most people would embrace, no matter how they feel about their careers.

Live to Work or Work to Live: Which Path Should You Take?

To work to live or live to work. It comes down to a personal choice, although I hope that most people will recognize the importance of finding a happy medium. Ideally, we all can find that one job that fulfills every desire of our lives, one that perfectly balances your work with your life so that you can lead healthy and happy lives.

Few of us can find that job, though many have tried and failed. Some of us have the choice made for us. Listen to Pat Flynn’s appearance on the MapleMoney Show, where he talked about getting laid off and how that landed him into the job and lifestyle of his dreams.

Perhaps the pandemic forced you to make a career shift or reprioritize your life. If you were forced to choose, which would come first? Would you give up your job if it meant you would enjoy life more? Would you give up your home’s location for a better career? Which is more important to you – and do your finances agree with that decision?

Comments

  1. The Financial Blogger

    When I finished my MBA (back in 2009), I have decided I wanted to live a different life.

    I just want to live and find a way to have my passions to pay for my living. I’m not 100% there yet but I am able to work 4 days a week and pass more time on my online venture (which is my passion) in order to grow my income.

    Live to work is sad since you have so many things to discover in life besides your job.

    Work to live is even worst since you see your work as something “necessary” to keep what you have (house, vacation, etc).

  2. krantcents

    I love my career, but it is not my life! When I retire from teaching, I must replace it with something else that is intellectually stimulating. I must have the feeling of accomplishment. I expect to fill my time doing things I enjoy like blogging, cycling, traveling, volunteering and mentoring.

  3. Doable Finance

    It’s like “Eat to live, Live to eat.”

    • Ben

      That’s what I’m talking about! My father-in-law has taught me this well. I love food but also don’t overspend on it.

  4. Squirrelers

    My career is important to me, and I think it’s vital for all of us to do work that we at least enjoy. It’s going to be a big use of your time, might as well spend that time doing something you enjoy. That said, work is definitely not everything to me. Family, health, and fun are extremely important.

  5. Evan

    I like to believe that I am working to live, but it doesn’t always feel that way since I like work so much and actually do enjoy it.

  6. LawLeaf

    I am satisfied with what I do for a living however I find myself working longer hours each passing year. I have to sometimes take a step back and remember that family should come first, even before a larger paycheck. I believe a good balance of both work and social/personal, makes you a better and more rounded person.

    Very good post.

  7. The Prudent Planner

    I am going from 8-5 to 6-3 work schedule, hoping this will help with my work-life balance. I find that a lot of companies tell you that you’ll work until 5 maybe a bit later but it always seems that it’s long than you expect. I know I’ve been at work until 10 or 11 pm some nights…it just puts too much stress in your life and you may not even realize it.

  8. Sean

    I work to many hours myself. You try to find the right balance. Teaching all day and then graduate school at night, is rewarding but, I’m busier than i’d like. Can you help me find that happy medium?

  9. Marie@familymoneyvalues

    It’s been my experience (in my 62 years), that most people don’t ask the question or make the choice.

    For most people, where they end up is determined by random events. For instance, where you live for most of us is determined by the country you are born in and to a lessor extent by the state or city. Where you end up in a career can be determined in a large part by what opportunities you find when you start out looking for a job for the first time.

    Sometimes we have to (or feel we have to) make the best of our situation (what we do, where we are and the life we end up leading).

    I admire those who DO ask the question and live a purposeful life based on their own proactive decisions.

    • Colleen

      You my dear took words right out of my mouth. Life can throw curveballs. We have to realize not all of us has that choice. Especially as we grow older

  10. My University Money

    @Sean – I am in the same boat, a teacher who is trying to do graduate studies at the same time (while also coaching sports). I find that I can focus much better during the summer and spring breaks (Christmas break is way too busy for me).

    As a young adult I find my generation much more concerned with work-life balance as opposed to maximizing income, what is the general opinion on this?

  11. David T.

    I’ve been doing my job for some time and I know couldn’t do it if I didn’t believe in what I do. I guess it’s always about setting the course, setting your priorities and finding your own way. In a way, we all share the same goal – we want to be happy with our lives. Sometimes it means chasing your dreams, but I mostly it’s about building on what you have in your hands. Do what you feel is right. It might sound like a bunch of clichés, but the funny thing about clichés is that they’re often very true.

  12. Funny about Money

    The problem with “living to work” is that you can’t work forever. When you identify yourself with your job (which is what happens when you live to work), retirement or a layoff means effectively the end of your life.

    That alone should tell you what’s wrong with getting too wrapped up in your career.

  13. Virata Gamany

    The operative word here is “at somepoint” but when is that somepoint? We start with great ideals but few get as far as living it. I surely hope more people will realize it’s a means to an end but not the end itself unless your passion is truly what you do for a living. That’s completely understandable as well. Now that’s truly living it

  14. Virata Gamany

    I have to say I think we can work forever, the question is do we want to ? Virata Gamany

    • Sitey

      I can’t and don’t want to work forever.. At some point it has to stop..

  15. A.Rajah

    I think I had experienced both in my life. I live to work when I started my working but didnot have the other option at that time (new immigrant, student loan etc). Even though I worked long hours, I really enjoyed it. But now I don’t enjoy my full time job that much. I don’t think I will 12 hr days continually even if they double my pay. I work to live. I have lot of other interests out side work and those interests(gardening, travelling, blogging etc) have become very important part in my life and I enjoy them more than my job.

  16. Juan

    Sadly we humans have a tendency to try and divorce life and work. Workaholics change their life into their work with (very) negative consequences. Irresponsible people, trapped in the nostalgia of life’s former simplicity can try and separate themselves from work (and responsibilities ) all together and just end up destroying their life. The trick is to find the balance somewhere in the middle.

  17. Virata Gamany

    One person’s definition of balance is incredibly different from another.

    The reality is there is no right definition. We determine what is the right mixture.

    I believe in one simple premise – If you don’t like your life as it is, change it.

  18. Anna

    The ideal is obviously to do what you love. If you can earn doing something that you love then you’re way ahead of the game – you can live your life celebrating your passions and earn your living at the same time. unfortunately this is not always possible, but regardless of whether you live to work or work to live, you need to find room in your life to both earn and enjoy.

  19. Kevin Yu @ Debt Eye

    My work is definitely fulfilling. Helping people make the right choices in managing their finances and getting out of debt is really rewarding.

  20. The Wealthy Canadian

    Nice post!

    There’s a saying out there…”there’s a fine line between pain and pleasure”.

    Personally, I find I need challenges in life to feel good about the way things are going and to keep my mind active, but at the same time I believe that if you can find something that you truly enjoy, it doesn’t feel like work.

  21. Jean

    If you love what you do, but have to put in lots of hours, you would say that you have a balance. But if you don’t love what you do, its tough. Everyone has a great purpose, we all just need to dog to figure out what it is.

  22. Robert Wilson

    @Kevin Yu. You’re lucky one. Most of the people, specially nowadays are as said before in the post, are just working to live.

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  25. Chris

    Both can have upsides, both can have downsides. If you chose money over time now, but are able to “retire” early might it be worth it? Of course is the extra time away from your family ever worth it.

    I have job that I enjoy and the hours give me freedom to enjoy coaching and family. It provides a good income so I really haven’t had to choose. But, if I had to, I believe I would pick less money for a more enjoyable job.

  26. Jean

    The key is to be passionate about what you do, but have passions outside of your job. Its all about balance.

  27. Jim Makos

    Live to work is what suits me best but we need to reward ourselves from time to time with… a bit of joyful living!

  28. Sunny

    I have actually taken the plunge and given up my job for a better lifestyle – thankfully that’s because I earn enough money online… but I built that lifestyle.

    Lifestyle is far more important than killing yourself working. You need to enjoy life while you can

  29. Leslie

    I am a type A person and live to work. When I have “down time” I start projects! Relaxing is difficult for me and I constantly work at including it in my. I strive to find a balance between living to work and working to live because I believe happiness and to some degreen success lie in that balance.

  30. mabu

    This age long debate between work and life is best had by seasoned proffessional and trilled seekers not yound unemployed graduate without any career.

  31. Harry

    There are different sides of life and we have to take decisions at that time. Many time in life we have to sacrifice our wishes and choose the one which we don’t like that much and have to love what we do. The rare case is to do what we love….

  32. Shaun @ Money Cactus

    I’m a big fan of work to live, but then I also like a job that is fulfilling. I look for a balance where possible, but since having a baby, it is far more about being at work less and at home more.

  33. Tom Croll

    I love the work / life balance of having an online business. I run an internet marketing company and can work / live / play at any time I choose – all from the comfort of my own home.

    I can’t recommend enough having a business that gives you the opportunity to be your own boss.

    I really enjoy what I do, so I guess my take on it is that I live to work to live!

    Cheers,
    Tom

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    First of all let me tell you, you have got a great blog. I am interested in looking for more of such topics and would like to have
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