Set parameters based on life, not work. For example, commit to never miss a child's event or date lunch/dinner. Leave work at work. Take vacations without your smartphone, iPad and computer (something I struggle with!).

Most entrepreneurs I work with are wired to blend work and life over a 24/7 period rather than having hard stops and rigidity. You still want schedules but if you have the option to do work that fits your priorities and energy level at the moment do it!

If it's Tuesday morning and doing a family activity makes sense go ahead without guilt. If you have the energy and inspiration to conduct business on a Saturday morning have at it.

The goal is to use all hours to their best and not be tied to traditional work hours. BUT, to achieve balance, you must make sure that one area of your life does not bleed into others. Make sure that over the course of a week you are carving out appropriate time for all aspects of your life. Saying you can work 24/7 doesn't mean all hours are assigned to that activity. It means you can be flexible with when you work and when you spend time with family.

I think Vincent nailed it. I would go with that.

Steve

Hello,
The short answer is by getting your priorities right.

And for that you need to have your criteria properly set.

I have developed an instrument that takes into account the most important areas of a person's life:
- health and energy
- relations
- growth & evolution
- and of course... career

The simple answer is to set boundaries between these 4 areas and not cross them...

In my 5AM Coaching program I offer the following daily structure:

5AM to 7AM (Me time - exercise, water, breakfast, priorities for the day, journaling, affirmations)
7AM to 8AM (greeting the other members of the family, preparing to leave for work/school/etc)
8AM to 9AM (travel)
9AM to 6PM (intense & focused work - following top priorities and other productivity methods (e.g. Pomodoro technique))
6PM to 7PM (travel home)
7PM to 9:30PM (family time and/or friends time)
9:30 to 10PM (me time - finishing off the day, lessons learned, priorities for the next day)

7 hours of sleep... and continue from 5AM on...

This schedule that I follow together with all my clients is the answer.

For more info please see the site: www.5amcoaching.com

Great question! It's a question that perplexes so many successful entrepreneurs and executives.

Here are a few tips:
1- First, get clear about what you "don't want"
2- Afterwards, write out what you want instead
3- Then, ask yourself, why you can't have it. These are your limiting beliefs... Blocks which are keeping you from living the life you can love... the life you deserve!

If these beliefs don't serve you... choose again!

Questions about building work-life balance? Call me for a FREE 30-minute consultation. I can help.

A few tips to maintain work-life balance are as follows:
1. Play to your strengths: Do not try and be all things to all people. Focus on your strengths and outsource the others.

2. Are you a morning person: If you are, assign tough, high-concentration tasks to the mornings. Do not leave the tough tasks until its night-time and vice versa.

3. Have set work hours – and stick to them: Set work hours for yourself and do everything in your power to stick to them.

4. Find time for your finances: Whether you work for yourself or not, it is important to feel confident about your finances. To do this, you need to get some accounting software in place and use it from day one.

5. Manage your time, long term: Create a timeline of your activities. Specific computer programs can help with this, or you can customize your own Excel spreadsheet or Word table. Put dates across the top and activities down the side.

6. Make your workspace work for you: Working for yourself does tend to require long hours and not much downtime, so invest in equipment that will support you.

7. Tap into technology: Instead of driving to a meeting, use Skype or conferencing technologies like GoToMeeting.

8. Make exercise a must-do, not a should-do: It is easy to cancel the gym, the evening run or the yoga class because a client wants something done yesterday.

9. Take time to make time: Invest in time-tracking tools. There are plenty of tools you can use to track everything from the frequency and duration of meetings, to chasing and converting leads.

10. Know and nurture your network: Prioritise growing your network and have a structured lead/conversion system in place so you can track the time/cost involved to grow your network.

11. Do what you love: Make time for something you love – other than work – and give it the time it deserves.

12. Be realistic: At the end of each working day, perform a little self-analysis. Ask yourself what worked today, what did not, what went wrong and how the issue can be fixed.

13. Get a business coach: Find the cash for a business coach.

14. Meet clients halfway – literally: Do not always agree to meet a client at their office. Instead, meet halfway, perhaps at a café or restaurant.

15. Manage your mind: When fear or self-doubt or anxiety creeps in, do some work on your mental health such as meditation or reading a business book.

16. Take a break: Remember to take time out throughout your day. Some tasks are easier than others, so if you find yourself with an hour up your sleeve, be realistic about whether you can “afford” to rest or not.

17. Have that holiday: Make time for a holiday and book in breaks, at least quarterly.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath