The Real Issue with Work-Life Balance

A Closer Look at the False Dichotomy

Jan 24, 2025

We often hear the term work-life balance which could mean different things to different people. Largely, it pertains to how much space your job is going to give you for “other things” in life. While it’s an important discussion to have, the term inherently feels flawed. Why are we dissecting work and life as the only two components that need balancing? Why is everything other than work being shoved in one generic term? It also implies that work is somehow separate from life, rather than being an integrated part of it.

More philosophically, do we only work at work? We work in many different capacities – We work on communicating better, we work on building our muscle strength, we work on playing the piano better, we work on being a better parent, a better spouse, a better person. A helpful framing is to identify anything meaningful in our lives as a path we want to learn and grow on. Your life paths could encompass anything that truly matters to you – job, relationships, hobbies, passions i.e. all that makes you you! 😌

Work as a Life Path

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When you view your job as a path for growth, you shift your perspective from short-term gains to long-term development. You're not just working for a paycheck; you're working to learn, to grow, and to contribute to something meaningful. This sense of purpose fuels your passion and drives you to excel. Instead of chasing the next promotion, you become a problem-solver, an innovator, someone who actively seeks to make a difference within your company and beyond. And, as you consistently deliver exceptional results, those promotions and bonuses often follow as a natural byproduct.

One time in my job, I was looking to learn about our company’s ad stack. I started going through the relevant material and experimenting with the new codebase. In the process, I noticed that we were doing a suboptimal process which could be optimized while improving privacy! I proactively pitched that solution and deployed it shortly with the team. It ended up saving a few million dollars annually for my company, thus having a huge impact that I never anticipated. It naturally led to promotions, bonuses but that was never the goal. I was only learning and up-leveling my skills, making me a much more valuable employee in the process.

What is Balance, Really?

We are happiest when the proportion of our paths in life is balanced, when our time and energy is split in ways that leave us energized. This balance is of course very personal and also evolves with time. For example, there might be times in life where your job is the most important path for you. Other times, parenting or caregiving can take up a prime seat. Or another time, you feel a calling to devote significant chunks to writing a book or to mentor in your community. For me personally, I always need a healthy balance of tech/research, music, writing and family time to be my most productive self.

Your division of life paths is your unique fingerprint. The only question you need to ask yourself is if your paths are energizing you or draining you, and then adjust accordingly. If we suppress a path for too long, it can lead to feelings of frustration, resentment, and even burnout. For example, if you're passionate about music but haven't touched your instrument in months, you might feel creatively stifled. Ultimately, the goal is to live our authentic life, one that is aligned to our values and one that takes us towards our vision.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

Evolving Work Landscape

Work is intrinsic to our worth in the society and hence has traditionally been a cornerstone of our identities. No wonder, What do you do? Where do you work? are one of the first questions we ask new acquaintances, again something to rethink! Contributing to society is a deep psychological need of all humans, but it’s time to redefine what it means. Only when individuals are truly fulfilled and able to express all their identities can they be the best version of themselves and thus contribute the most to the society.

With the shifts caused by the gig economy, AI, and global recession, it is time to design work that works for all. This isn't just about freelancing or remote work; it's about a fundamental shift in how we view our contributions to society. A world where a musician teaches coding, a chef develops sustainable agriculture practices, or an engineer designs innovative solutions for social impact – this is the polypathic approach to life. And this is how you leverage your diverse paths to create innovative solutions and contributions that only you can!

What do you think is your unique value proposition? 🙂