Environmental decisions and the work/life environment: a story of how the edge brought prioritisation to the fore

Abstract

Finding your feet in the world of work/life balance is challenging. There are so many things to consider. Sometimes it feels like a disaster on all fronts. In reality we have to make trade-offs and prioritise between work and life but unfortunately doing this is not just common sense. Making good decisions hinges on a way of problem-solving steeped in decades of research in the fields of economics, applied mathematics, philosophy and psychology – known as decision analysis – an approach famously described as a formalisation of common sense for decision problems which are too complex for informal use of common sense. Examining environmental decisions through the lens of this approach is the focus of my groups’ research. In this reflective piece I share my struggle with the complex and dynamic trade-offs between work and family life, and outline the steps of decision analysis in this context drawing on parallels with my research in environmental decision-making.