Travel Quote Tuesday | Do Not Work More Than You Live

“There is more to life than making a living. Do not work more than you live.” ~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana

I’m a firm believer in finding a great work–life balance (where ‘work’ = what you do to earn a living, and ‘life’ = all the stuff you do for fun). Of course, in an ideal world, the work side of the equation should be something that you like to do, making for a better quality of life all round.

In my day job, I’m a business analyst, and I work on a freelance contract basis for clients in the travel and retail industries. I love my job and I think I’m pretty good at it; it certainly gives me great job satisfaction. But I also have many personal projects and hobbies, not least of which is this site, Kavey Eats, now in its 10th year!

To that end, ever since I switched from permanent to freelancing employment more than 16 years ago I have always taken some time off after the end of a contract, before seeking and starting a new one. I just completed a 15 month stint for one of my favourite clients, but decided it was time for just such a break, and am taking summer and autumn off from the day job.

One of my projects for these coming months is a re-brand and re-design of this site, focusing on making it clearer to visitors what we offer today (lots of travel, a fair bit of food and a little lifestyle) and how to find the content you want, plus a fresh look and feel to go with that.

In between the blog project, I’ve booked some short-haul trips away, a few visits to out-of-town friends, an intensive pottery class in Wye, and other fun things.

How do you strive for a good work–life balance?

“There is more to life than making a living. Do not work more than you live.” Mokokoma Mokhonoana (Photo in Porto, Portugal)

I visited Porto a couple of years back and absolutely loved this vibrant, buzzing, yet laid back city. There’s so much to see and do in Porto, it’s perfect for a long weekend or weekday city break.

More Kavey Eats Travel Quotes.

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27 Comments to "Travel Quote Tuesday | Do Not Work More Than You Live"

  1. Annick

    Yes! I think so many of us with a full time job and other commitments forget about the balance! I’m guilty of that myself. Love your Porto photo – it’s on my list of places to go!

    Reply
  2. Medha Verma

    Wow, I did not know Kaveyeats is 10 years old, that’s pretty amazing! I completely agree with your travel quote -I love my job too, I really do but there are loads of things (called hobbies) that I love doing which are not my ‘work’ and I feel an intense amount of passion for those so I make sure I have a balance between my work life and personal life. This is my kind of quote 🙂

    Reply
  3. Marlies

    I can’t agree more! I have always worked in hospitality so it was easy for me to get time off. I have started a new job now which is 4 days a week so the other day I will try and see some more of my country and work on my blog. I also think you need to have a healthy relationship with your job but also your time off 🙂
    Congrats on your 10th anniversary!

    Reply
    Kaveyeats

    Working in the hospitality industry is a great way to get that extra time off!?? Not 10 yet, in 10th year after turning 9. ❤️

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  4. Shaily

    Your quote is enough to shake anyone out of a reverie. Most of us work more than they live and that’s where things go wrong. It’s very important to maintain a work life balance for a harmonious and a fulfilling life. I didn’t know this website is 10 years old. That’s really a wow moment!! All the very best for your upcoming projects. 🙂

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    It’s in it’s 10th year, so it’ll turn 10 at the next blog birthday!

    Reply
  5. Blair Villanueva

    I love this quote. Yes, we need to make a living, but we should never forget to live the life we have. Time is limited, and we can’t bring all those things to next life.

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    Kaveyeats

    Yes I know too many who decided to put off all the dreams until retirement and then fate intervened with illness or loss of one’s life partner. Devastating.

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  6. Lisa

    Congratulations on reaching the 10 year mark! I too am a freelancer and find it suits my lifestyle. I definitely enjoy a work life balance, it’s too short, and time flies so quickly!

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    kaveyeats

    10th birthday yet to come, but it’s passed 9th birthday, so is in 10th year!
    Freelance is great isn’t it, a great way to take more time off than the standard amount of annual leave.

    Reply
  7. Mel and Marcus

    10 years, that a lifetime in internet years. Are you planning a big party? We are trying to build a lifestyle at the moment that we don’t have to retire from. We don’t think either of us could go back to a ‘normal’ job, we’ve successfully made ourselves unemployable.

    Reply
  8. Drew

    I used to have a terrible work-life balance when I ran restaurants for large restaurant groups. 80 hour weeks, no weekend time off, and did not see much of the sun during my work week. After 10 years, I had enough and went a different way. I would say my work-life balance strays way heavier on the life aspect (which hasn’t helped my income!) but I’ve been much happier.

    Reply
  9. Andi

    I could not agree more with this quote! After close to 30 years in corporate life my hubby and I took a 1.5 year sabbatical and just had fun! It was the break we needed and I am back to working and loving life!

    Reply
  10. Rosemary

    Great point about needing to strive for work/ life balance. Not always easy to do, but I certainly make a point to nurture my body with exercise on a daily basis and my mind with meditation. Because I now work for myself, I relish taking a day off in the middle of week as often as I can. Porto truly is a wonderful city!

    Reply
  11. Chloé Arnold

    I had never read this quote before and absolutely LOVE it! May I actually print your image with the quote? It is such a beautiful reminder. Also, now I feel the need to visit Porto! It looks gorgeous!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Of course you may! ❤️ Drop me a note if you need a higher resolution. If you click on the image, it will show you the larger sized version but I can do larger again if you need.

    Reply
  12. Kirstie Saldo

    I am guilty of forgetting about the balance that sometimes, I feel so burnt out! Adulting is soooo difficult haha So I am happy I found this post and I am reminded that I work to live, not live to work! So thank you for this!

    Reply
  13. Claire

    It is the constant battle isn’t it, how to get enough money to really do what you want! I probably need to work a bit more to be comfortable, but I love my life how it is right now! I’m excited for your re-vamp, I can’t wait to see what you do with the site!

    Reply
  14. Carrie

    It’s so hard to have work-life balance when you have a day job AND a blog! I’m extremely lucky in that I love my job (and my primary work-life balance problem is that it’s hard to tear myself away), but I wish I spent less time staring at screens. No way that’s good for my eyes.

    Reply
  15. Bhusha

    You’re right. Its just an ideal world where you have a good work-life balance. Its not often the case scenario. A work which is as fascinating as a hobby may not bring a lot of money. But yes, that’s always the goal!

    Reply
  16. Jennifer Melroy

    So many people fail to find that work-life balance. Here in the US, many jobs make that impossible. I wish we had a better work-life balance and weren’t encouraged to work ourselves to death.

    Reply
  17. sherianne

    I am always planning the next trip, even if I don’t have a date yet. I buy concert and musical tickets to force myself to step away. Wednesday is friend night, usually dinner out. That’s about all I can handle with my crazy schedule

    Reply
  18. Sandy N Vyjay

    There indeed is so much more to life that just earning a living and leading a life. Man has always strived to find a higher meaning and purpose in life and that is what sets Man apart from animals. All of the greatest of works of art, science, architecture, literature, etc., are proof of that quest for a higher meaning.

    Reply

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