I’m Done With Work-Life "Balance"
disgustingly educated and exhausted
“Anxious woman in tech - who strives for excellence but is too stimulated to stick to a hobby” -written by me, about me, 1 year ago.
I’m looking at this quote at 1AM, thinking: God, how did I ever get time to stick to any hobby?. I made a 2026 vision board last month, and I am already tired of thinking about the empty promises I made with myself. Between a full-time job and a part-time master’s - I barely have the energy to socialize. How am I going to balance my life to realize these “side hustles” I’ve signed myself up for?
Maybe that’s the problem: the futile effort to “balance”. Trying to balance my different personalities - the corporate baddie, hunger to be disgustingly educated, the reader, the ambivert, yada yada yada. Shaming myself for failing at being someone else instead of accepting the person I am. Starving myself of contentment with self for an ideal I keep changing.
“Maybe you don’t notice your progress because you’re always raising the bar”.
Instead of glorifying the hustle culture, I’m trying to embrace the art of sitting with what it is - making intentional choices and prioritizing what truly matters in that moment. It’s time to move from balance to adaptability. Unrealistic expectations from self was not the only source of my fatigue, I was not allowing myself to enjoy the moment. I kept thinking of the next thing I’m “supposed to do” - according to my vision board.
Some weeks demand ambition. Others demand rest. Forcing balance only led to exhaustion. Why do I need to limit my work hours on days I don’t have plans to hang out? Work when there’s a family reunion? Reluctantly go for the team dinner when I’m exhausted? Now I’m adjusting different pieces of life as and when necessary. Life doesn’t move in equal parts, why should I?
There’s a fine line between high-passion engagement and exhaustion. The moment my back started hurting is my cue to close shop for the day. Working on myself to ensure I stop before the pain starts, rather than using pain as the metric for amount of work done. Ambition also needs an exit strategy to maintain sanity.
Hustle culture romanticizes doing everything alone. Robots work alone, humans need support - from people, systems, and ourselves. Friends who don’t take it personally when you go quiet. Workplaces that allow flexibility without guilt. Most importantly, self-support - allowing myself to rest without explanation.
Hustle culture brings burnout, harmony promotes reframing your ambition. Maybe my vision board isn’t about the “side hustles” for 2026. Maybe it’s learning how to live without a checklist at all.
