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How do you balance work with life?

Job positions in basically in all fields, the high paying ones but also the entry level ones, are highly intensive. I don't care to work my whole life, so how do you keep it even?

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Bill’s Answer

Hey James,
One of the things I have found to work most of the time is scheduling time for life. When you look at your work life everything is scheduled or time is left blank to allow other things to be scheduled.
Keeping that in mind I schedule things that are important to my out of work life. Morning exercise, date night with my partner, catching up with friends and visiting my parents all get blocked out in my calendar. This is effective as it stops people scheduling meetings etc and it also makes sure I take care of these important life events.
Even your work day doesn't have to be all about work. As you make friendships in the work place take 5 minutes in the break room to discuss the weekend past or the one coming. Finding a way to enjoy your workday makes the differentiation between work and life less harsh.
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david’s Answer

Hi, james, I like your question. You're right, life needs to be more than your work. Balancing your work with your life is ultimately up to you, no one else. If you are an employee, employers are not allowed to demand that you work more than agreed-upon hours without pay. To get by that, some employers will declare positions exempt from that restriction, and the at-work culture creates an environment where employees are expected to always come early and stay late. If you're in such a company, you may find it is best to leave. I have worked in such companies and the stree is ever present. Leave. For most work environments, however, employees who work extra hours do so under the belief that this is the way to impress management. It is not. Doing such extra work is not needed and should be avoided. In employer-employee relationships, the best strategy is to always be on time, work the full day, and then leave. And at work, pace yourself. There is always time to do the work if one doesn't spend excessive time in small talk. However, if you're an entrepreneur, striving to build a big company quickly, then it's totally up to you how long you work. Many work 10 hours a day, 7 days a week to meet that goal. But it's self-inflicted. If you ever find yourself working for the job when you're not there, pause and ask yourself why. Doing so in the short-term for a big project may be acceptable, but if the employer makes everything an urgent priority, it's time to go. Thanks for asking. The people in your life want you to be with them. Good luck in that.
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Jim’s Answer

James - this is a great question and one that many workers ponder at different times in their career. I find that setting boundaries and expectations for both yourself and others is a good start. Being open and honest about the general hours you intend to be available - say for example 7am-5pm; let people know that outside of those hours it really needs be urgent and unable to wait. At the same time, if you're offering that window YOU need to make sure that you are responsive, have a sense of urgency, and are completely available as promised. People's lives change and evolve - when I was young and single, I was a complete workaholic and really lived to work. As I got older and had a family, that family time became important and I had to (slowly) define those boundaries. We often feel guilty if we get the feeling that we are either being unavailable to our work family or unavailable to our home family. Finding that balance takes time and may vary by the role you are, the job you do, or even the evolving workload of your business.

I like the other responses too about scheduling time for life and work. To help you achieve those boundaries you should use the tools available - whether they are time blocks on your work calendar to let others know those time slots are taken and/or setup routines on instant messaging platforms (whichever you may use for work - Slack, Google, etc.).
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PwC’s Answer

Make time for your hobbies and your health- you can’t do great work if you don’t allow yourself to recharge. Find a hobby you can participate in that is close to where you live. Try more things to know what you are good at. Take at least an hour each day to just focus on yourself.
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PwC’s Answer

Get lunch with your team as often as possible, this makes work feel less like work!
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PwC’s Answer

Be transparent with the people you’re working with about your needs. Develop open communication with your team or manager. Over communication > under communication.
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Anastasia’s Answer

Hi James-

Great question and very important one!
Work will always be there, there is always something to do, projects, endless emails and messages.
Just think about this for a moment . You can be put in long hours, be very successful in your career, travel the world for work, and etc. But at the end of a day if you have nothing and no-one to come back to, it really doesn't matter.
It's not always easy to keep the balance. I believe in to giving 100% in everything that I do, either it's work or personal life. So, during your working hours be the best you can be, give it all you have. At the end of a day, close that laptop, turn your work cell phone off and go enjoy your life. One of my managers I used to work for always reminded us not to work on weekends and after hours, because it all leads to a pretty quick burnout.
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Arianna’s Answer

Quite a few things you can do here.

First, I'd make sure that when looking at your job opportunities you choose a company that prioritizes their employee's with vacation/etc.
Secondly, making sure that you prioritize self-care when you're not working. It's very easy these days to get caught up in other things with social media, etc. Really scheduling time to yourself and to do the things that matter most to you make your days much more fulfilling.
Finally, if you can find a career that brings you joy, it really makes all of the difference in the world.
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