Work-Life Balance: The Myth, the Legend, the Unicorn

Let’s be honest—“work-life balance” is one of those buzzwords that sounds nice on a coffee mug but feels impossible in real life. Balance suggests that your work sits perfectly on one side of the scale and your personal life sits perfectly on the other… as if your toddler, your email inbox, and the fact that your dog just threw up on the carpet all got together and agreed to stay in their lanes.

Yeah, not happening.

The Hot Mess Version of Balance

Most of us imagine balance like this:

• Work: Crushing projects, hitting deadlines, looking competent on Zoom even though your Wi-Fi hates you.

  
  

• Life: Eating a real vegetable, catching up with friends, exercising, and somehow getting 8 hours of sleep.

  
  

But in reality, balance often looks like scarfing down a protein bar while answering emails, folding laundry during a conference call, or saying “Sure, let’s hang out soon!” knowing full well your calendar won’t allow it until 2026.

So if “balance” isn’t realistic, what is?

Rethinking Balance: It’s About Energy, Not Equal Time

Instead of chasing a perfect 50/50 split, think of balance as having the right energy for your day. Some weeks will be heavy on work, others more open for life stuff. The key is not trying to divide your time equally, but to manage your energy so you don’t burn out.

Here’s one way to think about it: having set protocols for different kinds of days and weeks.

• Big Workload Week: Shorter workouts, batch cooking, and protecting one night of rest (or at least a few breathers throughout the day).

  
  

• Lighter Work Week: More social time, longer walks, maybe tackling that closet that’s been mocking you since January.

  
  

Balance isn’t about perfection—it’s about knowing what fuel you need for this particular day or week.

Planning a balanced schedule for work and life

Let's Be Practical: “Not Doing Too Much”

Another way to frame balance is simply not doing too much. We tend to overstuff our lives because of pressure, guilt, and the endless “shoulds.” One powerful shift is distinguishing between:

• Active Productivity: Crossing things off, making progress, moving the needle.

  
  

• Passive Productivity: Resting, resetting, and recharging from the drain of the active productivity so you can actually do the active stuff when you need to.

  
  

Both matter. Both count. One without the other is a recipe for stress stew (EWW😝)

Journaling to create a personalized work-life balance plan

Why It’s So Hard

I'm going to just say it because we all go through it...

• Guilt: If I rest, I’m lazy or I don't have time to stop.

  
  

• Pressure and Demands: Work is never really “done.” (Neither are dishes.)

  
  

• Always On: Between phones, email, Slack, and the team that is in a different time zone, it’s hard to find an “off switch.”

No wonder we feel out of whack. But here’s the thing—balance isn’t impossible, it’s just misunderstood. Here are a few ways to make it more doable:

• Question the Demands: Ask yourself, Is this really mine to carry, or did I adopt it along the way? Some “must-do’s” come from old habits, people-pleasing, or workplace culture—not actual necessity.

  
  

• Set Strong Boundaries: Boundaries aren’t about shutting people out; they’re about deciding what gets your energy and what doesn’t. That might look like a no-email-after-7pm rule, or saying no to extra commitments without apology.

  
  

• Flip the Guilt Script: Instead of “If I rest, I’m lazy,” try “If I rest, I’ll actually have the energy to show up tomorrow.” Or even better, "I am choosing to rest so I have the energy to finish the week strong!"

  
  

• Create an Off Switch: Build in cues to signal you’re done for the day—closing the laptop, putting your phone in another room, or taking a short walk after work hours to mark the shift.

  
  

When we stop carrying false demands, protect our energy, and give ourselves permission to rest, “balance” stops being this mythical unicorn and starts looking more like a set of practical choices we can actually make.

Forget the Perfect Plan

At the end of the day, “work-life balance” isn’t about having a beautifully color-coded schedule or a perfectly divided pie chart of your time. It’s about noticing your energy, setting realistic protocols, and remembering that rest and boundaries are part of the equation—not proof you’re slacking. If you can let go of the guilt and the made-up demands you’ve collected along the way, balance stops being a unicorn and starts being a practice. One small, doable choice at a time.

And if you’re tired of doing all the emotional heavy lifting on your own—this is exactly the kind of thing I help my clients with.

You don’t have to power through.

You can pause, process, and still rise stronger.

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