Whenever someone asks me if I have "work-life balance," it makes my skin crawl. My work is an essential component of who I am. There isn't a work me and a personal me. I'm just me, all the time. When I'm at work I often think of non-work stuff, and when I'm not at work I often think of work. I don't have a work/non-work switch and there certainly aren't two of me who can climb onto different sides of an imaginary scale to evaluate my "balance."

An uncluttered life is not a balancing act.

When you decided to get clutter out of your life, you made this decision because you felt that clutter was/is preventing you from achieving the life you want. If you're like me, the life you want to live isn't just work and non-work. Maybe your remarkable life includes being healthy, being a supportive and nurturing father, going rock climbing at least twice a month, learning new skills associated with your job, finding innovative and creative solutions in your work, and staying present in the moment. When you're pursuing "being healthy" you do this at work and when you're not at work. You can discover "innovative and creative solutions" for your work when you're hiking with your family (being a nurturing father) as easily as in your cubicle. Without clutter in your home, office, thoughts, and life you don't have to worry about "balance" because you're able to pursue the whole life you want.

If you're seeking "work-life balance," consider stopping. Instead, identify the many things that matter most to you and focus on those valuable, multiple, remarkable things.

Clarification: Having a job, at least for most of us, is how we provide, pursue, and care for the things that matter most to us. Getting rid of clutter likely doesn't include getting rid of your job, just the clutter in your job. It's similar to doing chores -- they might not be fun, but completing chores takes care of the physical things you choose to have in your life.