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.

Danielle Hood | Virtual Executive and Operations Assistant

Work life balance has been beat me down over the last two years of my business. Being an entrepreneur, you are working all the time. I had to learn the importance of taking breaks and having work hours. I was recently able to get a handle on my work life balance. Time blocking and committing to leaving my desk during breaks and ending my day at 5:30 every day. I no longer work on the weekends, unless it’s planned.  Read more>>

DACIA ZIMMER | Mobile Coffee trailer barista and owner

The number 1 question I get asked is do you have a brick and mortar or will you be opening one? The original answer was one day, now it’s maybe and I’ll tell you why. Having a brick and mortar means you have to always be at work on the days you are open or you have to hire a team to work. You have to trust that team will show up to work and if they don’t, you have to be available if you can’t find a replacement. Read more>>

Don Cimorelli | Retired Human Resources Executive

My personal views on work life balance have evolved throughout my entire career and into retirement. First, let’s acknowledge that when I began my professional career in the early 1980’s, the phrase work life balance was not uttered. The phrase began to be mentioned in the latter 1980’s, but it took several years into the 1990’s before most in the workplace had minimal grasp on its relevance. Even then, the early perception was that work life balance was a women’s issue for juggling career and family. Additionally, during the early years, people had a view that work life balance was an attempt to balance career and family like walking on a tight rope when in reality it has nothing to do with achieving a 50-50 balance. Read more>>

Vanesa Reeves | Tattoo Artist + Tarot Reader

I think work life balance looks different for everyone. I often feel like being a tattoo artist is more of a lifestyle than just a job. It’s not the sort of career where you can easily clock in and out at specific times. Early in my career I definitely worked too much (about 50 hours a week) and found myself in a constant state of burn out. It took years for me to truly understand the importance of work life balance and actually figure out what worked best for me. Establishing healthy boundaries for myself and others has done wonders for my mental health. With a healthy work life balance I rarely experience burn out or find myself feeling too exhausted to spend time with my family. Read more>>

Madeline Stewart | Director of Marketing & Merchandising

Work life balance for me has always been a struggle for me. Growing up with a dad as a furniture salesman and a mom in medical school, hard-work, long-hours and determination was something I frequently saw from my parents. I always believed in the ‘work hard days and long hours’ while you’re young to be able to provide for yourself and your family in the upcoming years. But recently, one of the challenges I faced is the concept that work does not define who you are as a person. Read more>>

Charley Thompson | Interior Design, Marketing, and Local Creative

Although the transition from college to the workforce was not as difficult as I expected, establishing work life balance has been quite challenging. I graduated college about a year and a half ago but it feels like it was just yesterday. I went from being about to work out in between classes, hang out with friends at various times of the day, staying up late until the wee hours of the morning and still was able to function, to having to make sure I get 8 hours of sleep every night, work 8 hours a day, finding time to go to a workout class, cook dinner, trying to schedule to see friends weeks in advance, and make sure I spend time with family.  Read more>>