You don’t need work-life balance!
You CAN'T balance a job that drains your life.
Last week, I said this about work-life balance on Twitter and LinkedIn, and it hit a nerve.
The post resonated because a lot of people are quietly living this tension:
Hating Mondays
Feeling like weekends fly by
Snoozing alarms like life’s on autopilot
Searching for “balance” that never comes
Here’s the truth bomb behind that post:
You only try to balance things when they’re pulling you in opposite directions.
Work versus life, productivity versus peace, and career success versus personal meaning.
But what if they didn’t need to be at war?
What if the real answer wasn’t “balance” but alignment?
Work-life Balance vs Alignment
When I worked in tech consulting, my life looked “successful” on paper. But internally, I felt like I was watching my life happen from the outside. I was numb, detached, performing, and only ticking boxes.
That’s what misalignment feels like.
It’s not just a time management issue. Career and life misalignment is deeper.
It’s the quiet, creeping sense that you're moving, but not in a direction that feels true. It’s waking up every day with low-grade dread and going to bed with the sense that you’ve done a lot, but accomplished nothing meaningful.
It’s doing work you’re good at, but not connected to. Misalignment is inner chaos masked by outer competence.
You show up to meetings, hit deadlines, reply to emails… but inside, you’re checked out. You scroll job boards late at night but don’t even know what you’re looking for.
You perform well at your job but feel dissatisfied privately and keep going because you “should,” not because you want to.
You get really good at time management, but you still feel drained.
You call it burnout, but really, it’s your soul slowly leaking your life force.
So in 2017, I left consulting.
I said no to “work-life balance,” and I went in search of clarity.
Before alignment, you have to get clarity
There’s something we don’t talk about enough in career development:
Early career growth is typically fuelled by yes, but sustainable and aligned growth as you get older is powered by no.
You say yes to get started but you have to say no when you know who you are.
At both phases of career growth, you need clarity on what to say yes to and what to say no to.
So let me ask you this:
“You have 168 hours each week.
How many of those hours genuinely reflect who you are and what you care about?”
Clarity begins with answering that question.
Here are some more questions you can add for your journaling, reflection, or your next brainstorming session:
Is the work I’m doing a reflection of my potential, or just what I’ve gotten used to?
Are these daily tasks moving me closer to the life I want, or deeper into a version of life I never asked for?
What are my actual career strengths, what patterns hold me back, and what needs to shift? (This SWOT worksheet can help)
What does a successful day and week look like for me?
What is my most effective time of day to do my best work?
What tasks don’t I enjoy but are necessary to my version of success?
Do I need space to process this with someone who sees the bigger picture?
You don’t need more hours in the day, you need more truth in how you’re spending them. You won’t find balance in a life you didn’t design intentionally.
What you need is alignment.
And the only way to build it is by finding yourself, listening to your gut, telling yourself the truth, and then acting on it (even if it feels uncertain or unclear).
If this hits home and you want help figuring out your next career move, I’m hosting an intimate Ask Me Anything (AMA) session at the end of July for professionals who need clarity on career next steps, pivoting, growth, or are just confused with too many questions and no answers.
If you’re on the fence, here’s a message from Feyi, a 1:1 client - a little reminder that clarity is often just one conversation away:
P.S. you get to join this AMA for a quarter of the price of my typical 1:1 session.
I’ve only got 30+ slots left, reserve your spot here.
Bring your questions. Unpack the tension. Let’s find clarity, together.
Talk soon,
Wamide 💜