The Tightrope Walk Called Work-Life Balance

What details of your life could you pay more attention to?

Some people say life is all about balance. I nod wisely when I hear it, but in reality, my balance often looks less like a Zen yoga pose and more like a circus act where the juggler keeps dropping balls. Between office deadlines and kids’ demands, sometimes I wonder if “work-life balance” is just a myth invented by motivational speakers to keep us hopeful.

“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.” I read this somewhere, and it hit me. Because honestly, I’m not going to stumble upon balance like a lost rupee coin in my sofa. It takes conscious effort. And truth be told, I often let work expand like dough rising in a warm oven, until it spills into every corner of my day.

At the same time, home life is not exactly a silent retreat either. Picture this: while trying to finish an office presentation, one child is asking me about the capital of Madagascar, another is yelling because they can’t find socks, and my youngest is suspiciously quiet (which usually means trouble involving crayons or walls). At moments like these, I feel like applying for an award in multitasking.

“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” Yes, that quote stings. Because I don’t want my kids’ memories of me to be of a perpetually tired mother glued to a laptop, muttering at spreadsheets while ignoring bedtime stories.

Humor saves me though. Sometimes I laugh at the chaos. Like when I tried doing a Zoom call while stirring dal, only to forget which spoon was for the curry and which for the mouse pad. At least life is never boring.

The truth is, work-life balance isn’t a 50-50 scale. Some days work takes 80, family gets 20. Other days, it’s the opposite. What matters is making sure neither side feels starved. It’s about weaving small pauses, laughter, and guilt-free “me time” in between.

“Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management.”

If I can learn to close my laptop on time, say no to extra tasks, and yes to an evening walk with my kids, maybe I’ll master this tightrope one day.

Thought to ponder: What if balance isn’t about dividing time equally, but about giving the right energy to the right place at the right time?