Jeff Bezos says his advice to Amazon interns and execs is to stop aiming for work-life 'balance' — here's what you should strive for instead

pulse

April 30, 2018 4:27 PM

"I get asked about work-life balance all the time," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said. "That's a debilitating phrase because it implies there's a strict trade-off."

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says he believes the term "work-life balance" is a "debilitating phrase."
Bezos revealed that one of the top pieces of advice he offers new Amazon employees is that they shouldn't view the two as a strict trade-off.
Instead, Bezos thinks of his personal and professional pursuits as a "circle" rather than a balancing act.

Historically, the world's richest man has a nontraditional approach to work: He makes time for breakfast every morning with his family, doesn't set his alarm before going to bed, schedules surprisingly few meetings, and still sets aside a few minutes every day to wash his own dishes.

This counterintuitive approach to maintaining a healthy symmetry within his professional and personal pursuits is one of the chief pieces of advice Bezos offers his staff.

Bezos said that the relationship between his work life and personal life is reciprocal, and that he doesn't compartmentalize them into two competing time constraints.

You can read — and watch — the full interview with Bezos right here.

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