5 Tips for Maintaining Work-Life Balance, From People Who've Been There

Work-life balance is a constant struggle for entrepreneurs with a passion for business. We’ve got five tips that can help you maintain a personal and professional middle ground.

- Matt Villano

WHO COULDN’T USE a few more hours in the day or week? Entrepreneurs of all stripes report that one of the biggest challenges to starting a company is determining out how to harmoniously integrate their professional and personal lives. Work too hard, and your relationships and even your health could suffer; focus too much on private time, and you stand to lose your competitive edge. But there is a middle ground. We spoke to entrepreneurs and C-level executives for their take on the issue and how they manage it.

“The notion of ‘balance’ looks different for everyone. You have to find it where you can, when you can. We have offices all over the world, so I could work all the time if I allowed myself to. Instead, I pick and choose and weave everything into my schedule as best I can. In the mornings, I wake up and do calls between 6 and 8 a.m., then I have breakfast with my kids and take them to school before heading to the office. At the end of the day, I come home, put the kids to bed and go back to work. Every day, my balance is changing. And that’s OK.” — Patrick Llewellyn, president and CEO, 99designs

FORGET THE BALANCING ACT.

The notion of work-life balance implies that the two can and should be equivalent. Rather, consider the integration as a moving target that’s a natural extension of your lifestyle.