Finding Your Own Work/Life Balance

As a business owner and full time employee for a software company that is known for demolishing work/life balance at times, I've had to find my own Zen when it comes to this concept.

One of the firs things you need to realize when setting your schedule at work is that your personal life needs to be scheduled "with" your work schedule not against it. There are certain things you just can't ignore in your life like Dr. Visits, car pool for kids, etc. and if you actually block your calendar off with personal appointment categories you'll find that you won't have meetings inadvertently scheduled during your busiest times if you show "unavailable." There will be the occasional juggling when you have a project or deadline but if you can say "no" a lot less often because your calendar is doing it for you it will protect your reputation and allow you some breathing room where you need it most (i.e. early mornings and late afternoons when life gets crazy.

Another thing you can do to improve your work life balance is to find the times you are most productive during any 24 hour period. For me personally, 10-12pm is dead quiet at the house, kids are finally asleep and I can pound out a ton of emails that will be read by the East Coast early my morning and by the time I get in I already have the answers and some issues resolved before I start my day. For others the early morning hours are their best time to focus and be productive. Whatever the time is, you need to be sure to also block your calendar for that so that you don't get bogged down in meetings or drained by constant distractions when you can really shine by completing projects and crossing off tasks that need to be done.

If you become overwhelmed with work/life balance taking a step back is the most important thing you can do to regain composure. You have to remember that your family and health come before your career. You can't get a second chance at those but you can always find another job and if you have to choose between them you're probably not in the right career anyways!

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The ABC's of Prioritizing Your Workload

Recovering from a Client Mistake