A simple work hack for good work life balance

In 2008, I had an experience that changed how I approached work and productivity. I had just finished my mechanical engineering degree and landed a job in a manufacturing company. Everything was structured—lunch was at 1 pm, tea breaks at set times, and the workday ran from 9 am to 5:30 pm. The schedule was strict, and there wasn’t much room for flexibility. It was all laid out for you, which left little cognitive load regarding how to manage time. You just followed the routine.

However, when I transitioned to an IT company, everything was different. Suddenly, my schedule was in my hands. I could start work at 8 am one day and 11 am the next. Some days I could leave at 5 pm, and on others, I’d stay in the office until 10 pm. This flexibility sounded amazing at first, but it also introduced a challenge—how to manage time effectively.

In this new setup, I found myself constantly postponing tasks. I’d tell myself, “I’ll get to it by 6 pm,” or “I’ll focus after a break.” Hours would pass, and at the end of the day, I often felt frustrated, realizing I had spent 11 or 12 hours in the office but had accomplished very little. I’d feel dissatisfied, thinking, “I wasted so much time.”

Around this time, my friend shared a principle with me that completely transformed how I worked. He told me, “You only need 4 to 6 hours of focused work in a day. If you can get those hours without distraction and know exactly what you need to deliver, that’s more than enough.”

His advice was simple but profound. It wasn’t about the number of hours spent at work but the quality of those hours. Instead of spending 10 or 12 hours aimlessly trying to complete/postponing tasks, focus on what truly mattered in those 4-6 hours. The key was discipline—blocking out distractions and setting clear goals for the day.

Since then, I’ve applied this method in my life, especially during the last four years when I’ve been working from home. Now, every day, I create a checklist of two or three essential tasks. I break down my work into 90-minute to 1-hour blocks, totaling around 4-6 hours of focused time. During these hours, I concentrate solely on my tasks without distractions.

It might be hard to believe, but this method works wonders. You don’t need to spend endless hours working—just a few hours of focused, intentional effort can produce remarkable results. I owe this mindset shift to my friend K.D., and it has stuck with me ever since.