“I wish there were more hours in a day!” How many times have you heard — or said — that? I’m not sure where the hours go, because it never seems like I have much downtime — not that I know what relaxation is anyway.

A rare visit to a spa to use a gift certificate revealed just how little I unwind, when the massage therapist asked me what I do to relax and I couldn’t think of anything. So it was helpful to find this work/life balance calculator (why isn’t it “life/work”?) that illuminated my time allocations and forced me to think about what I do with those 17 unplanned hours per week for “leisure.”

The calculator revealed that the bulk of my time is devoted to sleeping, working and eating — all practical endeavors. This mental exercise made me realize there is opportunity to find pleasure, satisfaction and even relaxation in everyday — and sometimes mundane — activities: sleep recharges me; work fulfills me; and I often share meals with friends and family.“Balance” may be in the mind of the beholder; with “work” and “life” not either/or states of being. It’s possible to blend the two, as evidenced by the reasons candidates tell Purple Squirrel they stay in their current jobs: they enjoy the work, the people and culture, and a good relationship with the boss. If there were more hours in the day, I don’t know that I would allot my time much differently, but it might allow for more moments to appreciate that there is plenty of life in my work and work in my life.