I Have Found Work-Life Balance in the 20 Minutes Between Classes

Work-life balance is real at HBS.

Work-life balance is the golden land. It is constantly pursued, but like a strong MBA job market, it feels increasingly hypothetical. Reality is mostly unread emails and recurring calendar holds.

That is why I am proud to say that I have achieved true balance in my work and my life. For exactly twenty minutes, between my two morning RC classes, every single day.

This is my time.

As soon as the applause dies down in Aldrich Hall, I take a moment for myself by walking directly into the longest line on campus. It is always the same people waiting patiently for the women’s bathroom. We barely speak, yet we are bound by a shared biological crisis. After all, it is illegal to leave the classroom in the middle of a case discussion.

Once I have completed this essential personal errand, I return to the classroom for the second phase of my balanced lifestyle: unstructured free time. The remaining minutes are entirely insufficient to accomplish anything real, which is what makes them so powerful. There is no danger of ambition here. No viable goals to fulfill. No meetings to call into order.

This is where I really prioritize myself. I smile gently at nothing. I inhale and exhale the windowless air. A section-mate asks me, “how are you?”, and I say, “good” with my whole balanced heart.

The world is my oyster. There are no expectations in the break we have left. The only requirement is to be physically present until my second class begins. In this void, I am finally, truly at peace.

Work-life balance can be a challenge in HBS’s fast-paced environment, but I have figured it out. I just needed to find time for myself.

In my case, that time is exactly 20 minutes long.

Vicky Liu (MBA ’26) grew up in Surrey, Canada. She graduated from Yale University with a double major in Political Science and French. Prior to HBS, Vicky worked in technology M&A at Evercore and technology growth equity at Summit Partners.