Work-Life Balance: A Moving Target
Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about work-life balance—during interviews, year-end reviews, and even from friends outside the business.
- What’s the company culture around work-life balance?
- I prioritize X over Y—what about you?
- How many hours do you work per week?
After answering these questions over and over, I’ve realized my response keeps refining itself. And in the end, my answer to "What is the work-life balance at the business?" is actually another question:
What is your definition of success?
That’s where the real conversation starts.
Work-Life Balance Ebbs and Flows
Success and work-life balance aren’t fixed—they shift over time, depending on your goals, ambitions, and life circumstances. Early in my career, I worked like crazy. Later, I adjusted. Sometimes work consumed everything, and at other times, personal priorities took over.
The reality is simple:
- High risk, high reward = Less balance.
- 9-to-5 stability = More balance, but likely less financial upside.
- Big money? Expect big demands.
If you want to earn “big bucks,” the traditional concept of work-life balance doesn’t really apply. The higher you go, the more responsibility you carry, the more the lines blur.
Peaks and Valleys: My Work-Life Balance Over Time
If we define work-life balance on a scale of 1 (no balance, all work) to 10 (no work, all leisure), here’s how I’d rank different phases of my life:
| Life Stage | Balance Rating (1-10) |
|---|---|
| Age 0-10 | 9 (pure freedom) |
| Graduate School | 2 (grind mode) |
| Start of Corporate Career | 1.5 (climbing the ladder) |
| End of Corporate Career | 6 (more control, but still demanding) |
| First 4 Years of Starting My Company | -1 (yes, negative) |
| Family Crisis | -1 (work took a backseat) |
| Post-Move to Victor (2018-2020) | 7.5 (best balance so far) |
| COVID | 3 (chaotic but focused) |
| Current (Last Few Weeks) | 5 (63 work hours + 10 hours of thinking/reading) |
What Time Frame Are We Measuring?
Many people only think about work-life balance in the present moment—this week, this month. But when I zoom out and look at the past 20 years, I feel balanced overall. Some periods were intense. Others were easier. The key is thinking long-term.
And yet, modern distractions—screens, dopamine cycles, short attention spans—seem to be shrinking people’s ability to see the big picture. Balance isn’t about today—it’s about the arc of your life.
What Are the “Big Bucks”?
After writing “big bucks,” I realized I didn’t have a solid personal definition. So I looked into income data:
| Region | Average Income | Median Income |
|---|---|---|
| New York (Statewide) | $78,624 | $69,135 |
| United States (Various Sources) | $66,621 | $80,610 |
| Rochester, NY | $46,628 | $44,156 |
| Monroe County | $52,553 | $71,450 |
Sources: Census.gov, SSA.gov, SoFi Learn, DataUSA.io
India’s data is trickier, but median incomes range from $5,000 - $15,000, with educated professionals earning around $25,000 - $30,000.
Income vs. Work-Life Balance
Based on the USA data, here’s how I define income tiers vs. work-life balance expectations:
- $0 to $70K: Comfortable balance, minimal work pressure outside of hours. When called to action, do so.
- $70K to $100K: Balance exists with a moderate amount of control, but expect intense periods of responsibility.
- $100K to $200K: Work and personal time is very blurry. Professional skills, and strong soft skills will help keep things in check.
- $200K+: No real balance unless you build a very strong leadership team. You are measured on results and have a lot of resources to achieve those results.
The Intrinsic Motivation Factor
One thing that shakes up the work-life balance conversation is intrinsic motivation.
If you love what you do, if you're deeply passionate, if you have a vision—then work doesn’t feel like work in the same way it does for someone just clocking in and out. You don’t measure your hours. You measure your impact.
That’s why work-life balance isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s a moving target—defined by what you want, what success looks like to you, and how willing you are to ride the peaks and valleys along the way.
So… what’s your definition of success?
