24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. Junior investment bankers regularly work 80-90 hours a week. Many other high profile professions require the same level of commitment. Often those on the outside claim that working 80-90 hours a week is bad/wrong/terrible/silly/etc but we’ve spoken with so many folks who say working that much has been the best decision of their life – it allowed them to develop a deep and strong skill set far faster than would have been possible otherwise. In other words, by working 2x the hours, they were able to generate 5x or more the rewards. And depending on where you are in your career, investing heavily in your skills and competence can pay dividends for a long time.

Dr. Trenese McNealy | Author & Entrepreneur

My work-life balance has changed over time throughout the years from working part-time as a single woman in school, to working full-time as a single woman with her own business, to working full-time as a married mom of three children as she transitioned back into school, and to working full-time with multiples businesses. Having a successful work-life balance is very important for people to remain healthy at work, alleviate stress, and prevent burnout. When I am able to balance everything that is going on in my work and in my life, I feel better mentally and I am more productive at getting things done. Today, I am a wife, mom, author, and entrepreneur whose mission is to help moms maintain a healthy, work-life balance through successful Program and Project Management strategies. Read more>>

Anita Scruggs | Brand Coach

As I grow as a woman and mom with a business, I have released the unrealistic expectation of perfect balance. There will never be equal distribution of my energy to everything that I manage without it leading to self sabotage. I aim for proper prioritization, harmony, and grace to allow myself to complete what is necessary and leave room to take care of myself. Read more>>

Patrick Foley | 3D Artist | Creative Director

My work life balance has always been interesting, because the work I do was once a hobby I never expected to get paid from. I’ve never really had a problem with separating work with personal activities because they’ve always gone hand-in-hand. I started creating in 3D about 3 years ago in college in my free time, creating abstract designs to post on a dedicated instagram account. I was so invested in progressing in this newly found craft that I set out to post nearly one render a day, and kept that up for the next couple of years. Initially, there was no huge growth or business. But after about a year and a half, I began to see the potential, and how posting my work online was essentially a constant stream of marketing my skills to the world. Read more>>

Caroline Young | Yoga-based Registered Dietitian & Nutrition Therapist

Balance is a tricky topic and one that I am honestly still learning about. I do believe that there are times in our careers when work needs to take up more time than what may feel good, in order to help us get to the place where we want to be. Personally, there was a time in the recent past when I was working in multiple places and feeling drained often. There wasn’t a whole lot of time to feed other areas of my life like relationships and my passion for travel. The thing is – I knew that time would be short-lived and that it was what I needed to do to hone clinical skills and build relationships – so I could get to a place of finding more relative balance. I say “relative” because I think balance can be fluid and not be another thing to feel pressure about finding in life. Read more>>

Asia Anderson | Candle Maker and Career Counselor

Work-life balance has always been super important to me. At first, I thought juggling between work and life would come naturally with planners and schedules, but my brain is always on. I quickly learned that I have to create this balance. My brand was built on self-care so, I believe that you have to create peace and balance. I am intentional with creating this balance by incorporating self-care into daily routines. I few extra minutes with myself throughout the day makes to keep me in a space of constant reflection and moments to recharge. Read more>>

Denise Gordon | Sr. Project Manager, Real Estate Agent, Entrepreneur

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a very good work life balance. Since the pandemic, all of that has changed. My real estate business has picked up during the pandemic and I think it has to do with the low interest rates for buyers looking to purchase a home, and the increasing housing costs for sellers looking to sell. Add on the diminished inventory and you have a very unique situation happening in the Atlanta housing market. Trying to find and maintain balance has become a bit tricky, but I am working on establishing routines and learning to shut off my phone during the evenings. I think that everyone has to find time to unplug from everything and enjoy thoughtless, technology free, quiet time. Read more>>

Bill Frey | Artistic Lighting Designer

Work-life balance is one of the hardest parts of being an entrepreneur. There is a constant struggle between how to focus your time and trying to be truly present in your life. For many years this issue plagued my self-happiness. During this period I did not let myself step away. I was in the mindset that if I didn’t do it, the task did not get done. If I was not at work, I was reading business books or working on forecasts, or even worse I would be thinking about my business rather the being present in my surroundings and with my family. Over time you realize what is important. The answer is both work and life and equally important. If you are not truly happy with your life you will always be chasing something in business you can’t achieve. If you are not happy in your business it carries over into your life and can drag you down. Having a good work-life balance comes with work, time, persistence, and consciousness of your surroundings. Read more>>

Lauren O’Toole | Fashion Blogger / Advertising Executive

For me, work/life balance is all about prioritization and organization. I think one thing that sets Brown Paper Doll apart is the fact that I don’t just focus on content creation – I have a full time job working in advertising. In my career, I’ve worked for top brands such as AT&T, ExxonMobil, Samsung and The Home Depot. My clients require an intense level of dedication and service, so time management is key! My work/life balance has changed in the way that now after my day-job ends, I’m just “punching in” for my blog. I choose certain days of the week to focus on content planning, writing and scheduling my posts, as well as any other administrative duties. I keep the shopping, and outfit shooting to the weekends! It’s the fun part! Read more>>

Sleepless the Poet | Poet / Artist

So really, until my poetry/art takes off to where I can do it full time, I actually work a day job to pay the bills. It’s not a bad job by any means, but it is what I do mon-fri. It’s an office job and the first one I ever had. Prior to this, I was mainly working in restaurants and because that’s not a specific 9-5, I feel like it offered more spontaneity and allowance for my photography and poems. Working a 9-5 provides a nice schedule, but I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older and adjusting to this life vs the fast pace restaurant life, I don’t go out as much and when I do, I don’t see the beauty in things like I did that would compel me to take a picture. My poems, for me, completely revolve around photography. It’s what makes the structure and nuance for the poem. So when I’m not taking photos, I’m usually not writing poems. Read more>>

Laura Galinis | Mental Health Therapist

Just like physical balance, my work life balance is something I find just to lose again. It’s a constant journey to try and find the elusive balance that feels glorious for the fleeting moments I find it, only to have something inevitably throw it off again. I’ve come to appreciate that balance is a constant exercise, and one that constantly changes as my priorities and responsibilities change. As a therapist, I really value being available for clients if something unexpected arises and they need added support. At the same time, in order to promote autonomy in clients and prevent burnout for myself, I do find the need to set limits on myself when it comes to answering calls, checking texts, and responding to emails outside of the time I spend with clients in session. Read more>>