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.

Mychelle LeVan | Professional Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer & Professional Wedding Photographer

Life and work balance for an entrepreneur can be very difficult! The first two years I didn’t have to think about it much since I was just building a brand and getting out there. However, these last 2 years I have had to limit the amount of weddings I do each year to make sure I have a good balance as a wife, mom, entrepreneur and friend. I have found that a good balance keeps everyone happy! Keeping a balance also allows me to be totally present where ever I am in order to give my best to whom ever I’m with. I love to have fun while working too and it’s not very fun when you have loads of weddings to edit and blogs to write and a family to make dinner for. Growth and reflection are very important to me and with a balanced work life I can breathe easy to stretch and make new goals. Read more>>

Valaencia Thompson | Founder

I used to think that it was a sort of badge of honor to be able to boast about how much work I could handle at one time. I have always had to juggle a lot of different things at various points in my life, so the pride of doing so successfully used to feel really good (Hello, EGO…is that YOU?). However, I have learned that rest is just as (if not more important) than the constant grind. I realize that in order to be able to do my best work, I must prioritize my rest. It is on my list of non negotiables now. Read more>>

Abel V. Riojas | Image Strategist & Commercial Photographer

All these questions are so good! I think as Americans everyone is looking for that one thing that will unify not only your work schedule but also your home life and honestly I don’t think it exists. I think you have to be happy in what you’re doing and what ever it is you’re doing it to the best of your ability. I’ve spent years reading books and trying to follow advice but in the end its how you see your life that will shape your destiny. If you believe life will be hard and you’re always focusing on the negative then that is EXACTLY what you will find, but if you stop and realize that every day is a blessing then you’ll learn to slow down and appreciate the little things. And you’ll also stop and celebrate the wins along the way and not focus on what you can’t control. Also one thing that changed the course of my life was realizing I was comparing my life to other people on social media. Read more>>

Tim Huber | Director of Agronomy

Since my twenties, I really have always worked a lot, including weekends and holidays depending on the need to. The challenge was once I had a wife and then kids how to balance the two worlds. (Even though my Wife is awesome and very supportive) Now, I still get as much done, but my work experience has helped me find efficiencies to free up time during the day. I never skip an opportunity to get some work done or and opportunity to spend time with my family. When the worlds collide I always choose family and make up the missed work later. Read more>>

Andrew Bilger | Founder & Serial Entrepreneur

Work place balance is a phrase that was unknown to me at a younger age. Work was the easiest place that I existed in my natural state. It was my wheel house. Family relationships with my wife and children and extended family always seemed forced, like I was a fish out of water struggling to wiggle my way back into the waves. As such I stayed busy 7 days a week with work. If my Main business didn’t need my attention then I would take on new projects to occupy my time like contracting homes or remodeling a rental. I was very out of balance but had no idea. It was just what life was right? By the age of 44 I was a wreck. Overweight, tired, always stressed, failing at my marriage and at being a dad. I made a move that was foreign to me and saw a therapist to try and right the ship so to speak. Read more>>

Lisa Watson | Store Owner

When I first bought Dream Dinners four years ago I threw myself into the business. I consumed myself in learning the business. Studied other stores that were having success. Watched food trends. You name it and I probably tried it. What I realized over time was that I completely burnt myself out, my marriage was starting to have some real issues (mainly because I wasn’t emotionally available), my three kids were making decisions without me (not all good decisions) and my health was not all that (I’d gained weight and stopped exercising). So I took a step back and regrouped. I dug deep into what exactly I wanted and what makes Lisa happy. I empowered my employees to make decisions. I set realistic goals that employees could achieve. Read more>>

Madison Logan Edwards | CEO & Wedding Day Dog Attendant

When I first started Pawsh Weddings I was still working full time in the non-profit sector. I would get home from my job, open my laptop, and work all night on my business. For a long period of time I basically worked nonstop. It felt like the only way to make my business successful, but the to do list never got any shorter and I became more and more exhausted. It took a major health scare to realize that my lifestyle was unsustainable. My grandmother always said that each of the relationships, responsibilities, and things in our life are all balls that we’re constantly juggling. Some balls are made of rubber and will bounce if dropped, but others are glass and will shatter. Inevitably there are times when we have too many balls to juggle and drop a few. Read more>>

Kim Kelly | Accountant & Consultant

I think in the beginning I thought I had a good work life balance however, when COVID came along I had to learn an entirely new meaning of this. I think that I constantly said yes to everything which drained me. Once you realize you don’t need every single client and to take every job you can really map out your balance. I think that balance means saying no to work you can’t or don’t want to do. It’s saying my family needs me more than I need work. Clients who respect and value you will understand and accommodate this request. Balance is thrown around so much and it really means making choices. Read more>>