Whenever I teach a class on “life balance” (remember, it is not ‘work life balance’, it is ‘life balance’), I summarize the six buckets included in my “Your 168” book:
- Career and education
- Family and friends
- Faith/reflection
- Health (sleep/exercise)
- Fun
- Social responsibility/making a difference
I always explain that some people use all of the buckets, and some people just use a few of the buckets. It is obviously a personal choice, with each person having different priorities on how they spend their 168 hours each week.
Since the students are aware that I do a lot of teaching, give a lot of leadership talks around the world, serve on both for-profit and not for profit boards, and have five children, I am often asked about the “fun bucket:” Do you have any time for fun, Harry, and if so, what is your favorite fun activity?
First of all, I truly believe the fun bucket is key to “life balance.” I am very fortunate that I have fun teaching, giving leadership talks, and serving on boards. I find all of this a lot of fun.
However, in order to answer the question regarding my favorite fun activity outside of work, I had to make a difficult choice between two: baseball and movies. The best of all worlds is when they’re combined, i.e., a baseball movie. My all-time favorite is Pride of the Yankees (1942), a fantastic movie about the life of Lou Gehrig, the Iron Man of baseball. The movie starred Gary Cooper, and believe it or not, the real Babe Ruth appeared in the movie. In my list of other great baseball movies I would include Field of Dreams, Major League, and The Natural.
I must admit, whenever I need a break, even if it’s pretty late at night, my “fun go to” is making a very big bucket of popcorn and watching a movie. When it’s not a baseball movie, it’s usually a suspense thriller (I am all geared up to see the new Mission Impossible movie in a few weeks), a drama, a love story, or a comedy.
The only movies I avoid are Marvel, horror, most science-fiction, and anything overly violent.
I enjoy old movies as well as newer movies. Last night, I enjoyed a great treat. For my 70th birthday (yes, I still cannot believe I turned 70😳😳), one of my best friends gave me a copy of the movie that won the best picture award in 1955, the year I was born.
Want to guess the name of the movie? Here are a few hints:
- It won 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Screenplay.
- It starred Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, and Rod Steiger.
Give up? On the Waterfront!
It was a fantastic movie, and I must add, included some important points regarding values and leadership (I am sure you’re not surprised that I added that point)🤣
Here’s a clip to one of the classic scenes…. I get a little emotional every time I watch it.😢
Hello Harry,
Your post brought a big smile, especially the birthday movie pick. On the Waterfront is a masterpiece, and the scene you mentioned still hits home.
“I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody…”
It’s a line that lives in the marrow of anyone who’s wrestled with choices, values, and the passage of time. It belongs to that powerful genre of “regret” speeches, not just a moment of cinematic brilliance, but a meditation on how easy it is to let parts of ourselves slip into Palookaville if we’re not paying attention.
Like you, I’ve found that compartmentalizing life isn’t about boxing things off, it’s about naming them clearly so they don’t get lost or neglected. I’ve simplified my own approach into three buckets: Work, Love, Energy, a concept I first heard through Brian Johnson and the Heroic community. It’s helped me stay focused on what really matters, especially when the lines between “work” and everything else begin to blur.
A book you might enjoy that complements this perspective is “The Five Types of Wealth” by Sahil Bloom. He expands the definition of wealth beyond the financial, exploring five domains: time, social, mental, physical, and financial. It’s a thoughtful way to make sure the whole self is being nourished, even the parts that are quieter or slower to speak up. (His website includes a tool for assessing and improving your “wealth score”, somewhat useful, though it comes with the usual caveat: expect a few extra promotional emails.)
Thanks for the reminder to keep the “fun” bucket, or what I think of as the “Love” bucket, full. And for proving that leadership doesn’t have to come at the cost of joy… or a great bucket of popcorn.
Here’s to meaningful hours and movies that linger.
Warmly,
Peter