What’s the right balance between work and non-work time? The traditional 9-5 has slowly disappeared with the emails and zoom and texting going far beyond traditional business hours. We asked members of our community to share with us how they think about work-life balance.

Maddie Ivey | Multi-Faceted & Dimensional Creative

This is a very fitting question for me at this stage in my life! I used to have little to no work life balance. It was all “work”, no “life.” I “never had time” to do anything outside of work and always chose work over myself. When COVID hit, it allowed me to re-evalute many aspects and take the time to figure out what was working for me and what wasn’t. I used to have this mentality that if I wasn’t working, I wasn’t being productive and I’ve learned that just isn’t true. I’ve realized the importance of taking time for self, family, friends, mental health and also just celebrating your wins and taking time to appreciate and relish every moment of life! Moral of the story: it’s incredibly important to have balance. Read more>>

Caitlin Correa | Podcast Manager & Producer

I’ve definitely had to make sure that I am leaving enough time in the day for my family and my kids. I have 3 children and my priority is them, so I try to get most of my work done when they’re in school. I also like time blocking to get client work done. And I’ve made it a point to try to stay off of email and social media messages during the weekend. Read more>>

Treasure Harewood | Self Taught Resin Artist

When I started creating it began as a hobby that I would do occasionally. Maybe once a week or less. As my interest grew so did the amount of time I spent working on it. Crafting changed from an occasional hobby to a part time career for me and I had to learn to balance that with my other responsibilities. I have a job I work at full time so I had to manage my time around that as well. The main thing I’ve learned is to spend as much time as possible working on my art. Read more>> 

Rikki McCoy | Therapist and Self Care Expert

Balance is a necessity. They key is not in always keeping balance, but in being able to go with the flow of life and adjust accordingly creating balance on a daily basis. What is needed to balance yourself may change day to day. It is important to be able to check in with yourself in the mornings. To give yourself time, before you give it to anyone else, and ask yourself how you feel and what you need in that moment. That will determine your to-do list, your goals, and your needs for that day. Read more>>

Gabrielle Duffie | Photographer and Law Student

When I began as a photographer, I wasn’t so deep into the art or consumed with other things that balance was an issue. As I moved forward in life, I graduated from my undergraduate college as a double major in Business and Philosophy and went on to continue my education by going to law school. As I got into my first semester of law school, work life balance became difficult. I went to school, worked part time, and even interned all at once in undergrad but it was no match for law school. Read more>>

Judie Levy | Teacher, Communications Director, Embodied Poet

Teaching college writing and literature, occasionally working in college administration, being the Director of Communications for the Virginia Highland District Association, and writing poetry on the side requires a lot of balance—but not in the way you might expect. Early in my PhD program, I had bad habits like working late and neglecting self-care, which made work eclipse what should have been my happier moments. Eventually, it took a toll on my mind-body, and I had to change the pace (and tempo). Read more>>