Why We Don’t “Balance” Life, Work, and Travel

People ask us all the time:

The answer is simple:
​We don’t.

Not because we’re failing.
But because “balance” isn’t what we’re aiming for.

We don’t try to give everything the same amount of time, energy, or focus.
Instead, we give what matters most in the moment our full attention—then we shift with the season.

It’s not always even.
But it’s aligned.

The myth of balance

We’ve been sold a lie that a “good” life means:

• 8 hours of work
• 8 hours of sleep
• 8 hours of family, friends, and fun
• A fully stocked fridge
• A clean inbox
• A well-edited morning routine
• And somehow… adventure, intimacy, creativity, and growth on top of it all

All at once.
All the time.
Without dropping anything.

That’s not balance. That’s burnout dressed up as discipline.

Nomadism taught us to live differently

On the road, “balance” doesn’t exist.

Some days are full work days.
Some are long drives.
Some are slow and spacious with the kids.
Some are chaotic.
Some are sacred.
Some are all of those things—inside the same 24 hours.

Trying to balance it all? Impossible.

So we stopped aiming for balance.
We started designing for alignment.

What alignment looks like

Alignment means:

• Knowing your priorities for this season
• Giving yourself permission to shift focus
• Building systems that flex with your reality
• Accepting trade-offs with clarity—not guilt
• Measuring progress by presence, not perfection

When something takes more of our time, we know why.
And when something needs to pause, we trust that too.

Because everything can’t matter equally—and that’s okay.

We live in phases, not balance sheets

Here’s how it works for us:

🛠️ Work phase

Sometimes we’re building something big. That takes focus.
We’ll double down on deep work, early mornings, tight systems.
We loop the kids in, and we own it as a sprint.

🛶 Travel phase

When we’re moving more often, everything gets lighter.
Work hours reduce. School goes flexible. We prioritize nature, presence, memory-making.

🧘‍♀️ Recovery phase

When we’ve been going too hard for too long, we pause.
We stay still for a while. Rest. Reflect. Rebuild energy. Realign.

💡 Creative phase

Sometimes a new idea takes over. Writing, filming, designing, podcasting.
We protect inspiration and let things get a little unbalanced—in a good way.

Every phase has different rhythms.
And we’re always listening.

What we don’t do anymore

• Force “balance” across every day
• Shame ourselves for needing to pull back
• Hold rigid expectations that ignore reality
• Pretend our energy is infinite
• Compare our current season to someone else’s highlight reel

Instead, we check in:

That’s alignment.
And it’s far more sustainable than “balance.”

This Week’s Shift:

Stop asking yourself, “How can I balance everything?”​
Start asking:

• What season am I in right now?
• What deserves the most attention in this season?
• What am I willing to let be “good enough” for now?

Then make one change to reflect that:

• Say no to something small
• Block off a window for what matters most
• Let go of a standard that no longer serves you
• Ask your partner or kids what they feel this season needs most

Forget the myth of doing it all.

Design for what matters—right now.

That’s the only kind of balance that lasts.

—Indy & Kitty
​Nomadists