I'm Killing Myself. How is Everyone Else Finding Work/Life Balance?

There's a lot of talk these days about "Work/Life Balance" within a startup.

We're supposed to believe that we can build a world-changing startup from nothing while simultaneously traveling to exotic places and enjoying our "best life".

For most of us, that just doesn't add up. What's blowing us up, though, is how we approach the problem.

Is "Work/Life Balance" just a myth?

It can be.

While it sounds amazing to build something from nothing with plenty of time to spare, that's rarely the case. A startup is an all-consuming torrent of time, which means if we let it, it will absolutely take every second we have available.

Those of us that are beating the system are doing it by brute force hacks on life.

What's one thing I can do to get more time back?

Focus on one thing per day.

We screw ourselves when we try to put together a giant list of things to do because collectively the list has no end (and therefore we are never "free"). The only way to free up our time (while actually getting more done) is to isolate our tasks to one per day that must get done.

This provides the justification we need to "call it a day" long enough to enjoy the "life" part of the balance.

How are other Founders finding Balance?

Sometimes the balance comes in the form of "Work/Life Blend" where we're finding more ways to incorporate our personal and professional lives together, such as working from home or adjusting our workday hours to sync better with our personal lives.

Remember, it's OUR startup company, so we determine how we want our schedules to operate.

In Case You Missed It

Please stop “work-shaming” me with your work/life balance nonsense. Learn how to make employees feel like they’re gaining by coming to work with Carmen Sample, who built a $10M business in 7 years.

Combating startup burnout. Best-selling author and launch strategist Charlie Hoehn offers up tips for success when you’re ultra stressed.

How can I balance time between my kids and startup? Juliet Oberding, Founder of Predictably Well and mother of 2, shares advice on not missing out on important milestones while still giving enough time to your business.