Harmony Over Hustle
Closing the Year with Intention
December arrives like a long-awaited whirlwind—equal parts magic and mayhem. The errands multiply, the invitations stack up, and your world hums with a kind of frantic sparkle. Yet beneath all that motion, I keep catching the same soft whisper rising in the quiet corners of my day:
Be still. Marla, be still.
I’ve learned that harmony isn’t the opposite of hustle. It’s the rhythm that steadies it. It’s the wisdom to know which notes deserve to be played—and which can finally be put down. That’s the heart of living the I/O life: a life where meaning is not forced but designed.
I/O Psychology Insight
In Industrial-Organizational Psychology, we are slowly letting go of the old phrase “work-life balance.” Balance assumes a perfect split—a tidy 50/50 that rarely exists in real human life.
The future, the research says, is work–life harmony.
Studies in positive psychology and well-being (like Greenhaus & Allen, 2011) remind us that people thrive when their roles complement each other, not compete. When your values weave consistently through your daily decisions, burnout loosens its grip and fulfillment steps forward.
Harmony is role alignment—the art of designing your days so they move in the direction your soul already wants to go.
Real-Life Application: A Simple Harmony Mapping Exercise
Try this exercise I give my coaching clients:
Draw three overlapping circles labeled:
Work, Well-Being, and Wonder (yes—the things that light you up).Look at where they intersect.
That center space?
That’s your harmony zone.
Now choose one small alignment move for January:
Leaving work 30 minutes earlier once a week.
Saying “no” to something that steals your peace.
Scheduling joy first—instead of squeezing it into the leftovers.
Tiny moves shift whole seasons. (Read that again.)
Reflection Prompt
Which part of your life has been playing too loud?
Which part deserves the volume turned up?
Let your answers guide your next step.
Action Step / Call to Harmony
Before the calendar turns, choose one day of stillness.
No screens.
No noise.
Just you, your breath, and your becoming.
Ask yourself:
What lesson am I carrying forward?
What weight am I leaving behind?
That’s how harmony sounds when the world finally goes quiet—like truth settling into its rightful place.
Dr. A