Controversial Opinion: Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Exist

People often ask me, “How do you manage it all?”

I get comments like: “You’re so busy. How do you find the time?”

It’s a fair question. In my earliest 20s, my life was chaotic from the outside. I was competing as an athlete, studying, working, coaching, travelling, and trying to do all the “normal” things people in their 20s do. It didn’t look balanced at all. And here’s the controversial part: it wasn’t.

Because I don’t believe in work-life balance. Not in the neat, tidy way it’s often sold to us.

Why “balance” is misleading

The idea of work-life balance suggests we can divide our lives into equal slices, work, family, health, rest, relationships, hobbies and keep them all perfectly level. But life doesn’t work like that. Real life is messier, more dynamic, more demanding.

Instead of balance, what I’ve learned is that life flows in seasons. And each season demands something different from us.

The season of doing it all

In my 20s, my season was about building. I was training and competing as an athlete, coaching others, studying to become a lawyer, and working long hours. It wasn’t “balanced” at all. Some days I was running from work to training with barely time to eat. Some weeks I was buried in study and exams while still trying to keep up my fitness.

From the outside, it looked overwhelming. But inside, it felt right for that stage of life. It was the season of putting in the hours, stacking experiences, saying yes to opportunities, and learning how much I could handle.

Seasons shift

Here’s the thing: seasons don’t last forever. What you prioritise at 22 might not be what you prioritise at 32. What mattered most when you were chasing national titles might shift when you’re building a career or a family.

And that’s okay. Just like in sport, you can’t peak all year round. There are training phases, competition phases, recovery phases. Life works the same way.

Work is part of life, not separate from it

Another problem with the “balance” idea is that it treats work as something separate from life. As if work sits on one side of the scale and “life” sits on the other. But the truth is, work is part of life. It’s not always glamorous or enjoyable, but it shapes who we are, what we learn, and what opportunities we create for ourselves and others.

Sometimes that means putting in long hours, pushing through, and making sacrifices. Other times, it means pulling back, resting, or enjoying the space that comes after a big push. Both are valid.

Owning the season you’re in

The trick is not to chase balance, but to recognise the season you’re in and own it. If you’re in a season where work, study, or training is all-consuming, that’s not failure. That’s life asking you to lean in. If you’re in a season where you can breathe more, travel, or take time off, that’s not laziness. That’s balance showing up differently.

When you know what season you’re in, you can stop comparing yourself to others, stop chasing a mythical idea of “balance,” and start giving yourself permission to commit fully.

Final thought

Work-life balance doesn’t exist. But seasons do. Some will stretch you. Some will recharge you. All of them will teach you something. The real challenge isn’t to juggle everything perfectly, it’s to recognise your season and live it with intention.