- To 10X
- Posts
- The Illusion of Work-Life Balance
The Illusion of Work-Life Balance
when you truly work for yourself
Hellooooooo!
How have you been? I have been doing some reflecting and here’s what it’s really been like since I started working for myself.
Not tidy balance. Not two drawers labelled “work” and “life.” More like a rhythm I had to stumble into.
Upcoming realities
The illusion of balance
It sounded neat.
Work in one drawer, life in the other. Open one, close the other. Everything in its place.
Except the cabinet never existed. There’s just me. The day. And whatever I decide to pour into it.
The alarm clicks off at 7:12 a.m, and I’m already replying to a midnight DM.
Breakfast is an invoice. Lunch is a sales call. Dinner is an idea I can’t let go of.
I don’t clock in. I don’t clock out. Some days I don’t even notice the clock.
It isn’t laziness. It isn’t a hustle. It’s ownership.
I am the business. I am the product. I am the promise.
Responsibility is heavy. Freedom is heavier.
Rhythm over
Balance
 Boundaries I wrote myselfNo one trains you to stop checking email while brushing your teeth. So I made rules. Don’t open analytics first thing. | Balance feels like a scale. Forever seeking level. Month end? High tide. Long days. Gritty eyes.
“I never thought I’d work like this, but then what really is work?” |
Notes to Self
Why hacks don’t work
I copied someone else’s “ideal week” once. By Thursday, I hated both of us.
It wasn’t my season. It wasn’t my body. It wasn’t my business.
What works: clarity over quantity.
One finished thing. One real conversation.
How I steady myself
I repeat the lines often.
You’re building a long game. You don’t have to do it all today. Output over optics. Presence over performance.
It’s simple. Not easy.
In case I forget
The guilt spiral
Am I working too much? Too little?
Should I be at the gym right now? On this call?
The only thing that helps: choosing fully. If I’m in, I’m in. If I’m out, I’m out.
Both days count
Some days the air is sharp, the pedals hum, and I can’t believe this is my life.
Other days the hill is cruel, my legs burn, and every car horn feels like a critic.
Both days matter. Both days teach.
The reminder
It’s not the balance I’ve found. It’s integration.
Some days I’m more founder than friend. Other days, more partners than planners.
Over time, the average leans toward a life I chose on purpose.
Get involved
We’re planning Content Brunch #2
Want to write LinkedIn posts, without the overthinking of ‘is it relevant enough’ or is it ‘good enough’?
I’ll be walking you through how to turn (almost) any topic into a LinkedIn post.
Date: 24th August, 2025, Sunday
Time: 11:00 AM IST
Venue: Google Meet
I’ll see you on Sunday!
(or Next Friday)
Love,
Nikita