I recently reflected on a post about hustle culture, work-life balance, and the different ways people approach ambition. What struck me is how complicated we often make this discussion. Should we work fewer hours? Should we slow down? Should we separate work and life more clearly? Should we be more ambitious? Should we suck it up and give it more hours? For me, the real answer is much simpler: it is about meaning.
I think about balance a lot, but I see it in simpler terms than most. For me, balance is not really about how many hours I spend at work or how much time I set aside for life outside of it. It is about whether the things I spend my time on feel meaningful.
That meaning shows up in different ways. It can be solving a problem at work that has been sitting in the back of my mind for weeks, creating the best possible place for my colleagues to thrive, building a fantastic product for our customers, or contributing to something bigger than myself. It can also be a long run where my head finally clears, or skiing, improving my turns, or going full speed downhill and feeling alive. It is there when I spend time with my family, creating an environment where my kids can grow, or in a moment of laughter with friends or extended family.
The common thread is that these things matter to me. They give me a sense of mastery, contribution, or growth. They energize me instead of draining me. And when most of my days are filled with this kind of meaning, balance follows naturally. It is less about counting hours and more about balancing the meaningful things so they add up to a full life.
An important part of this is learning to find meaning in what you already do. Not everything requires a new adventure or a complete change. Often the deeper challenge is to look at the work, the relationships, and the routines you already have and see the value within them or tweak them. Mastery, contribution, and growth can be found there too, if you give them attention.
That is also why I believe it is worth spending time exploring and figuring out what feels meaningful for you. Because when you look back one day, the questions you will want to be able to answer are not about how many hours you worked or how many hours you rested. The questions will be much simpler:
Did my life have meaning?
Did I do what felt right for me?
Did I find balance?