Does Work-Life Balance Exist?

Over my 17-year professional career, I’ve gone through two major stages regarding my attitude toward work and free time.

Stage 1: Working 24/7
For most of my professional journey, I worked relentlessly. My days started early and ended late, often juggling multiple projects simultaneously.

Stage 2: Hedonism
I began to view work as merely a tool for a pleasurable life. The goal became to work less, savor every day, have fun, spend money, and simply enjoy life.

In the last couple of years, I’ve reached a new stage, and here’s the essence of it:

Work Should Be Satisfying

Everyone has their own preferences. Some thrive in the spotlight, others love crunching numbers or diving into code.
Hard work that feels like suffering isn’t the best option. We all know this, but it remains just as important.

When necessary, one should be capable of entering “crunch time” — short-term periods of intense, focused work. The ability to do so often stems from enjoying what you do in the first place.

Balance Your Energy

It’s crucial to manage your energy. Personally, I can push hard for about three weeks. After a period of working 18-hour days, including weekends, I need to take a significant break. Without that, a few things might happen:

a) I’ll run out of energy and lose my ability to make effective decisions.

b) I might get sick (my body has pulled this stunt on me more than once).

c) I could lose my strategic vision by plunging myself into the operations work.

d) I’ll burn out, which can negatively impact the business and team morale.

If a long break isn’t an option for the next few months, I manage my energy and pace on a daily basis. I make sure to get enough sleep, exercise, and balance my workload. For example, if I have four intense days, I ensure that the fifth day has fewer meetings. I also make out time for myself, whether that’s doing nothing at all, engaging in practices that slow my mind down, or getting a massage. I’ve discussed this in more detail in a previous post about recovery.

Some call this approach “work-life harmony.”

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As always, I remind you that there are no universal approaches or techniques. Everyone’s different, so experiment and find the methods that work best for you!