Balancing life and work doesn't come naturally to me. Fortunately, I have figured out that I get to define balance for myself.
As someone in recovery from overworking, I have to admit that balancing life and work doesn't look the same way for me as it might for most people. It doesn't mean working a certain number of hours per day followed by a certain number of hours living my life.
Sometimes, I work a ten- to twelve-hour workday, and balance looks like taking off an entire Friday or a couple of afternoons during the week. Sometimes I work twelve days in a row and take a week off.
This is what works for me. Regardless of how my schedule shifts and how free I feel by managing it in my own way, I always need to be vigilant in tracking work versus nonwork hours and days.
What I know for sure is that I tip over into the "more work than life" trap quite naturally. I may not achieve balance in my life easily, but I remain committed to having it, as I understand it, in my life.