The term "work-life balance" evokes this picture of a playground teeter-totter, you know, the plank balanced on a fulcrum? And the point is to have that plank be perfectly balanced.

I think that image is obsolete for the reasons you describe. I also think it caused a lot of impossible expectations (i.e. super moms).

I think its more about focus. Knowing that you may be focusing more on what is most important at that moment. It switches regularly. One moment, it might be the crunch time on a proposal, next your son's struggle with math, then its how to preparing for a presentation.

Those that seem to manage their lives well seem to know that whatever they are focused on at the moment means whatever they are not focused on is what needs to be attended to next.

To work, that means the focus needs to reassessed regularly and shifted as needed.

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