Balanced Life Is A Scam?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and honestly? I think the idea of a balanced life is a bit of a scam.

Not because balance is bad—but because it’s sold to us as something we’re supposed to achieve all the time. And the more I think about it, the more impossible it feels. Especially when it comes to the ever-so-popular phrase: work-life balance.

Let’s be real for a moment. Can anyone truly balance work and life at the same time, equally, consistently, without feeling exhausted, guilty, or frustrated? I don’t think so.

What we’re actually doing most of the time is splitting ourselves in half.

If you give 50% to work and 50% to life, you’ll probably get 50% results from both. And that’s not necessarily bad—but it’s also not great. You’ll feel like you’re constantly underperforming at work while also not fully enjoying life. You’re present, but never fully there.

Now ask yourself this:

Can you give 100% to work and 100% to life at the same time?

Of course not. That’s how burnout is born.

I’ve started to believe that life doesn’t need balance—it needs focus.

There are seasons where work needs your full attention. Deadlines, learning curves, financial survival, growth. And there are seasons where life needs you more—your health, your family, your mental well-being, your joy. Trying to juggle everything at once doesn’t make you productive; it just makes you tired.

Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re bad at balancing.

Maybe balance was never the goal.

Maybe what we need is permission to prioritise.

Give 100% to work when it’s time to build, stabilise, or survive—so that one day, you can give 100% to life without guilt. Or give 100% to life when you’re healing, resetting, or reconnecting with yourself—so that when you return to work, you show up stronger and clearer.

It’s never 100% everywhere, all at once.

It’s 100% here, then 100% there.

And that’s okay.

So no, I don’t think work-life balance exists the way it’s marketed to us. What exists instead is intentional living—knowing where your energy needs to go right now, and allowing yourself to shift focus without feeling like you’re failing at the other parts of your life.

What do you think?

Is balance real—or are we just doing our best, one priority at a time?