In today’s big story, we’re looking at how the pandemic has twisted our perceptions of work-life balance — in good and bad ways.

• Travel: This town became “one giant Airbnb.”
• Careers: Nearly one-third of employees go to therapy due to a toxic boss, a new survey finds.
• Life: Behind-the-scenes of a suburban town, where they’re 10 times more likely to live to 100.

More than 60% of employees consider work-life balance a top priority in their next job, according to a 2022 Gallup study.

Gen Zers and millennials are demanding work-life balance and asking about it during job interviews. And some are even pushing back against working a 9-to-5 schedule.

“While this has long been a top priority, its importance has increased substantially since the pandemic,” Kristen Lipton, a managing director at Gallup, told me. She highlighted how people aren’t just aspiring for work-life balance — they’ve come to expect it.

Yet, the combination of remote and in-person work that many employees have to navigate has muddied things even more. Experts shared tips on small ways to improve your work-life balance.

People are spending more than double the time in meetings than before. Ryan Anderson, a vice president at MillerKnoll, told me this creates rigidity in people’s schedules. It prevents people from prioritizing their personal and professional goals throughout the day.

“If your calendar is just chock-full of scheduled video meetings, you may feel much less balanced — might feel much less autonomy — than what you did even in 2018 or 2019,” Anderson said.

Although most employees want location flexibility, schedule flexibility is even more important to them, according to a recent workplace study from Future Forum.

Recognize how work creeps into your life

Lipton told me that people often (and erroneously) conflate remote-work flexibility with work-life balance. But that’s led to work seeping into every aspect of our lives: the dinner table, couch, and even vacations.

“Self check-ins to consider whether the work setting, style, or load are contributing positively or negatively to work-life balance,” Lipton said, “and consider what we need to do to improve our situation.”

Value the commute

Although studies have shown that long commutes are bad for people’s mental health, a reasonable commute can be quite beneficial. It offers a physical boundary for people’s work and life, Anderson said.

“It gives you a chance to process the day and be ready to be engaged and present with the people you love in the evening,” Anderson told me. “Transitions and boundaries have gotten so blurred that it’s helpful for individuals to reestablish them.”

For more stories about work-life balance, check out:

• How much should you care about your job?
• The next big challenge for bosses: Find the perfect balance between rigid 9-to-5ers and employees who want a more flexible schedule.
• Gen Z share red flags that could mean an employer doesn’t care about work-life balance.

2. Check out Chinese President Xi Jinping’s luxurious, custom-built 18-foot sedan. It’s made by Chinese automaker Honqi. And the vehicle — comparable to a Rolls-Royce Phantom — is very different from the White House’s Cadillac (nicknamed Beast).

3. A town that became “one giant Airbnb” is now facing a reckoning. Hochatown, Oklahoma is only a 219-person town, but it has 2,400 Airbnbs. That’s created an economic force reshaping the small town.

2. Why Gen Zers are most likely to skip lunch. Roughly 70% of Gen Z workers report they don’t take lunch at least once a week, which is well above the average across all generations (48%). Their bosses are a key reason, since Gen Zers are more than twice as likely to worry that managers will disapprove of their midday meal.

3. Nearly a third of US workers say they go to therapy to cope with their toxic bosses, according to a new poll. Many workers reported feeling anxious before the workweek starts and having nightmares about their bosses. This toxicity can lead to mental health problems or unhealthy coping mechanisms.

2. Millennials are in their spending era. They’re growing older and getting higher paying jobs. So now, many well-off millennials are keen to spend their money on things like quality items, time-saving services, and beauty products.

3. Hop in for a tour of the $1.5 million luxury tour buses celebs like Drake and Doja Cat use. The Dreamliner Luxury Coaches CEO said it’s “the bus company you call when you’ve made it.” In addition to 900-thread-count sheets and Le Labo candles, some of the buses even come with a music studio for artists who want to record on the road.

• An airline is experimenting with allowing passengers to resell their tickets in exchange for a cut of the profit.
• I went on a 13-day road trip. Unpacking as soon as I got home was a game-changer.
• Color experts share eight hues you should incorporate in your home in 2024.
• Chinese scientists created a robot that can make oxygen on Mars. It could allow humans to someday live on the red planet.
• The death of a hockey player whose neck was cut during a game is now a criminal case.
• “Selling Sunset’s” Mary shared her pregnancy news on the show. Then she had to share her miscarriage.

• From Monday: The CEO of this tech company is traveling the US in a van to meet his company’s top users. Answer: Twitch
• From Tuesday: This billionaire investor suggested VCs could be replaced by “an automated system.” Answer: Chamath Palihapitiya
• From Wednesday: Leaked documents reveal this tech giant is blocking promotions of employees who don’t comply with its RTO policy. Answer: Amazon
• From Thursday: The CEO of this British sandwich franchise was promoted 10 times on his way to the top role. Answer: Pret a Manger
• From Friday: This company is using a new insulation material to make its refrigerators roomier. Answer: Whirlpool

Diamond Naga Siu, senior reporter, in San Diego. Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor, in New York City. Hallam Bullock, editor, in London. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York City.

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