How to balance between dunya and deen (akhirah)

Working a job from 9 to 5 or attending college for whole day may seem like running after dunya to you, but the Quran tells us how Islam actually looks at dunya and akhirah from a completely different perspective.

I have to agree with Nauman Ali Khan in his assertion that Allah has mentioned a number of acts/things that by definition don't seem like matters related to deen or akhira, but our intentions and the desires are the primary yardstick that contribute to our success in akhirah and in this world as well. 

Allah talks about many acts in the Quran that typically deal with our day-to-day life. By mentioning these day-to-day life activities, Allah actually expects us to stay in harmony with Him. For instance, Allah talks about ships sailing through seas and expects us to remember Him, acknowledge His favours and express thankfulness. Allah wants us to see His workings, His mercy in the form of everything happening in the universe.
Not only the sailing of ships through seas or birds spreading their wings and flying across skies, the Internet and electricity too is the manifestation of Allah's intelligent and power. Vehicles surfing through roads and planes flying too is a manifestation of Lord's mercy, power and intelligence. But we, most of the times, take these simple, yet powerful indications of Allah and His attributes, for granted and operate on ego.