Everyone is stuck navigating life today, coping up with the fast-paced mechanism trying to maintain physical health, mental wellbeing and contentment. Basically, the in between harmony between personal and professional life. Amidst the ongoing debate that revolves around ‘workweeks’, it gets tough making through. There is a new age concept gaining momentum, which is called the “Pendulum lifestyle”.

The word ‘pendulum’ rightfully represents the two swinging extremes- Work and life, productivity and rest, busyness and relaxation. It’s entirely like a pendulum’s movement moving from one side to another with balance and consistency, the individuals have to strive for effort and ease into their lives.

The term and concept of Pendulum lifestyle is propounded by Jeffrey Michael Karp, a professor of biomedical Engineering at Harvard Medical School and MIT. He suggested ‘pendulum lifestyle’ a powerful tool in his book- LIT: Life Ignition tools: Use Nature’s playbook to Energize your brain, spark ideas and ignite action.’

Here is all you need to know about the pendulum lifestyle, the new approach to strike the work-life balance:

What is the concept of Pendulum lifestyle?

Today, when the world is juggling amidst ‘all or nothing’, and the race towards perfection, there is a need of the mindset that comes with the pendulum lifestyle. The new age concept is all about the idea of embracing productivity and leisure, together which lead to a fulfilling life. This will help in a clarity making decisions, flexibility in mindset and improvement in wellbeing.

There has to be a realization that rest is necessary as work, the sustainability is achieved only through adequate breaks in between hustle. This also involves taking meaningful intervals in between, engaging in activities beyond work and reflecting upon personal fulfillment like self-care, hobbies, etc. It is when you spend time along with family and friends who add to your emotional wellbeing and contentment in life.

The pendulum lifestyle helps you cope up with guilt, prevent any physical and mental health issues like anxiety, burnout and unnecessary stress that come along due to the workload, focused energy, flexibility and recovery. In order to maintain an overall wellbeing, an individual has got to build sustainable habits that helps you with intense productivity as well as a mandatory intentional relaxation. Progress in work can come over without compromising on health, you just need to swing a part of your life and regain momentum.

How to implement this kind of a lifestyle?

• Ensuring regular checkups on yourself- You got to be in constant touch with yourself, that your mind, body and soul are doing well enough, really. Are you at your 100%, feeling well physically, mentally and emotionally? Make note of your energy levels, if you find any facet that isn’t letting you so, then you got to change that.
• Have curiosity along with compassion- It is all about the balance right. So when you feel like that your pendulum is going off-balance, you got to form the balance. Develop an interest in knowing about what’s affecting and how do you learn from it. But only by being compassionate with yourself and adopting a constructive approach for it, bringing positive changes will help you. Try out new experiences that can increase your resilience.
• Understanding the swing- The pendulum’s working has to be understood by you. You have to observe what’s working and what’s holding you back, like when you are in a ‘fight’ mode and when it is the ‘flight’ mode.
• Change in the functioning- Based on whatever you observe, feel and realize work accordingly and change your functioning. Basically, the routine that isn’t leading you to. Making adjustments and making your pendulum work in the positive direction. This will ensure ‘progress’ in the long run.  

This kind of lifestyle is about embracing the way of life you are in with some adjustments, and adapting to it. It is to let yourself know that it’s not the perfection that is important, but the progress that matters. Chasing for the perfect is neither possible, nor should be desired. Just make sure you have the right consistent swing!