Finding Balance

Happy Friday, everyone!

Last week, I shared insights from former CIA operative Darrell Blocker's powerful talk on kindness and promised to explore technologies creating more humane systems. But this week, a lunch conversation with a younger colleague sparked a different angle on this topic that I can't stop thinking about: generational approaches to burnout, boundaries, and how we might build better systems to support well-being.

A Tale of Three Generations and One Japanese Concept

My lunch companion—let's call her Maya—is 27 and thriving in tech sales while simultaneously drowning in the pressure. As she described her workload and stress, I had a moment of déjà vu. At her age, I was five years into my role at AWS when I made the decision to take a personal sabbatical.

But our conversation took an unexpected turn when Maya introduced me to a concept that perfectly articulated what I've been seeking throughout my career journey without having a name for it: ikigai.

This got me thinking about the generational differences I've observed:

Millennials (like me): We've normalized the "official leave of absence" for burnout recovery. Many of my brilliant, successful peers have taken medical leave for stress, anxiety, and psychological disorders. We're the generation that named burnout and began talking about it openly.

Gen X colleagues: They seem to operate with a different operating system altogether. Their work ethic is undeniable—always available, boundaries often invisible. They typically only step away for major family commitments: college tours with their kids or caring for aging parents.

Gen Z (like Maya): They're entering high-pressure work environments already aware of burnout risks but still struggling to navigate them in practice. They're inheriting our burnout culture while trying to rewrite it.

What's fascinating is that these aren't just personal choices—they reflect how each generation was taught to approach work, success, and self-care.

The Technology Paradox

Here's where I see an interesting contradiction: The same technologies that enable us to "work smarter, not harder" are often the very tools eroding our ability to disconnect.

Last week, I promised to explore technologies building more humane systems. There are a lot of new AI tools on the market, I've been researching platforms attempting to create healthier digital environments. Here's what I've found:

Bluesky: A More Mindful Social Media?

Bluesky's approach to social media design offers interesting possibilities. By using an open protocol (the AT Protocol) and allowing users to choose their own algorithms, they're creating a space where engagement isn't necessarily optimized for addiction.

What makes Bluesky potentially more humane:

• Control over what algorithm shapes your feed

• No advertising model (yet) driving attention extraction

• Community-led moderation approaches

• The ability to port your social network to other services

Other Promising Technologies

Beyond Bluesky, I'm seeing innovation in several areas:

Digital Wellbeing Tools: Apps like Forest, which gamifies staying off your phone, or Opal, which blocks distracting apps during focused time.

Team Communication Reimagined: Services like Twist that prioritize asynchronous communication over the constant pings of Slack.

Calendar Design for Humans: Tools like Reclaim.ai that automatically build breaks and focus time into schedules.

Finding Your Ikigai in a Burnout Culture

During our lunch, my friend observed that I seem to be well on my way to achieving what the Japanese call "ikigai" (生き甲斐) – a concept that translates to "a reason for being" or "a reason to live." It's about finding meaning by aligning four key elements: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

This concept struck me deeply because without knowing there was a term for it, this alignment is exactly what I've been seeking.

I've received plenty of mentorship from Gen X colleagues with the practical wisdom to "find a job that pays well and just do it"—the idea that you won't always align passion, purpose, and profit in one role. It's advice born from navigating different economic realities than we face today.

Yet I suspect Gen Z, like Maya, is rightly seeking a deeper harmony. My own mental health struggles and burnout stemmed largely from a lack of alignment with who I really am and how I want to show up in the world. Prioritizing health, good sleep, meaningful connections, and considering the impact on people and planet alongside profit isn't too much to ask—it's essential for sustainable well-being.

What Can We Learn From Generational Differences?

Perhaps the most powerful technology isn't technology at all—it's the wisdom we can glean from understanding different generational approaches:

From Gen X: Their dedication and work ethic provide a foundation, but their experience also warns us about the costs of always-on availability.

From Millennials: Our willingness to name burnout and seek help has changed workplace conversations forever.

From Gen Z: Their insistence on purpose-driven work and questioning inherited systems might be exactly what we need to build something better.

My Personal Reflection

Looking back at my 27-year-old self making the difficult decision to take a sabbatical from AWS, I wish I could tell her she was starting an important conversation about finding her ikigai. My burnout wasn't simply from working too hard—it was from working hard at something that wasn't fully aligned with my authentic self.

The modern workplace wasn't designed with ikigai in mind. It was built for efficiency, productivity, and profit—not necessarily human flourishing. Perhaps this is why so many of us find ourselves seeking sabbaticals, career changes, or alternative work arrangements. We're trying to retrofit a system that wasn't built to support wholeness.

Whether we need time to care for ourselves, our parents, or our children, the ability to step away, reflect, and return stronger is essential. But beyond that, we need systems and technologies that support us in finding and maintaining our ikigai—that sweet spot where passion, mission, profession, and vocation converge.

My lunch with Maya reminded me that across generations, despite different approaches, we're all seeking essentially the same thing: meaningful work that doesn't consume our humanity but rather enhances it.

This Week's Question

What technologies or practices have helped you maintain boundaries between work and life? Have you found digital tools that feel like they're designed for human flourishing rather than human exploitation? Reply and let me know—I'm genuinely curious about solutions that are working for you.

Until next week,

Madelyn O.

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