Is Work Taking Over Your Life? Here's What Helped Me Take My Evenings Back

 September 20, 2024

I used to think being constantly busy meant I was doing something right.

Emails at 10pm? Sign of dedication.
Back-to-back Zoom calls with no lunch break? Commitment.
Cancel plans with friends (again)? Necessary sacrifice.

But here’s the truth no one tells you: if your job is swallowing your time, your peace, and your relationships — that’s not success. That’s survival mode in disguise.

I know this because I lived it.

It wasn’t until a friend looked me dead in the eye and said, “You’re always on. Do you even like your job anymore?” that it hit me. I’d let work become who I was — not just what I did.

What changed? I got support. Proper, honest, life-back-on-track kind of support. Through coaching.

Now, I used to think coaching was all motivational quotes and “believe in yourself” fluff. It’s not.
The right coach doesn’t coddle you — they show you where you’re stuck, and more importantly, how to get unstuck. They help you make space to breathe again.

Here’s what I learnt that shifted everything:

  • Boundaries aren’t selfish. They’re necessary. I blocked out my evenings. At first, it felt uncomfortable — like I was letting someone down. But slowly, it became normal. Then freeing.

  • You are not your job title. Coaching helped me untangle my worth from my work. I stopped over-explaining myself. I stopped proving myself.

  • Being “always available” doesn’t make you essential. It makes you exhausted. Once, I took a client call during my mum’s birthday dinner. That memory still stings. I haven’t done it since.

The craziest part? When I stopped trying to do everything, I got better at the things that mattered. I was more focused, more present — and I finally had time for things that made me feel like me again.

If any of this feels a bit too familiar, know this:
You’re not broken. You’re burnt out.
And coaching — especially mindset and boundary-based coaching — can help you take your life back, one small shift at a time.

No fluff. Just clarity, honesty, and the support to say enough — and actually mean it.


Real talk. From someone who got their life back, one boundary at a time.