WHO ARE YOU AFTER WORK?

I once saw this question on Facebook, and it has stayed with me ever since.
People often say work-life balance is about keeping work at the office and living your own life once you get home. That’s true, but it only separates “work” from “life.” It doesn’t guarantee that you are actually living that life part.

“Who are you after work?” asks something deeper.
It asks whether you still have a version of yourself outside deadlines, KPIs and expectations. After 5 p.m., do you just stop working, or do you actually give yourself moments, habits or small rituals that bring meaning to your evenings? Do you let yourself exist without needing to perform?

There was a time when I didn’t. During my first internship in 2023, my days were a loop of work, go home, scroll, sleep. It felt stable, but the kind of stability that slowly empties you out.

That is why I created After 5, a small corner where people share the simple, meaningful things they do after work. Because from those little stories, we may remember that the “life” in work-life balance deserves as much attention as the work we pour ourselves into.

That is why I created After 5, a small corner where people share the simple, meaningful things they do after work. Because from those little stories, we remember that the “life” in work-life balance deserves as much attention as the work we pour ourselves into.

And beyond that, I built this community with a quiet ambition: to create a space where young people and working adults can share, reflect, and breathe a little slower together. A place to talk about the moments that matter after the day ends. A place we can return to, not to prove anything, but simply to feel a little more human after 5 p.m.