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.

Lynn Delaney | Entrepreneur and YouTube Content Creator

For the past year I think work/life balance has changed for all of us considering COVID19. For me personally this pandemic has really made me focus on developing myself as an individual as well as spending more quality time with the ones I love. Before COVID I think my focus was mainly on work, work, work but now I feel as if i’d like to be a better person overall–someone well-rounded and one who not only gives to the people I love but the community and the world as a whole. Read more>>

Jay Cronin | Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Hand Lettering Extraordinaire

When I first started freelance designing it was as a full time venture. I spent the first year promoting myself online and on social media and began tediously building a client base that could become more consistent. However the end of the that first year slowed down at a time when I was really depending on that source of income. This caused me to seek out and eventually take advantage of a full time graphic design position at a label design and printing company in Houston and freelance part time instead. I continued to work with my customer base over the next few years as more of a “side-hustle,” which worked great in the beginning as I was enjoying the amount of work and types of projects I was able to book for myself. However, as the years continued to pass, my life began to change quite a bit. I proposed to my long time girlfriend and got married after a year engagement, then had my first daughter soon after. As my responsibilities and obligations shifted to a more family focus I needed to reorganize my freelance schedule. Read more>>

Gaston Denari | Architectural Designer & Photographer

I think it’s always important to maintain a balance that you are comfortable with. When I started my Architecture degree, there was practically no balance. I was physically and mentally exhausted, but the work was so engaging that I didn’t mind it. As the years progressed, I realized that I couldn’t maintain that work rhythm forever. Even though I was working on projects all the time, I realized that it’s hard to be creative when you are overworked. It became really important to set times to see friends, eat well and rest. I think a good work/life balance is achieved when one takes their downtime as seriously as their time spent working. Read more>>

Thiago Quirino | Chef/Owner

Work life balance is one of the hardest thing I have to juggle at this moment of my life. Besides Robusto Food House, I have a full time job that takes at least 40 hours of my week without counting commute. All I try to do is be as organized as possible and take as many notes as I can to remind myself the order of priorities. Simple examples, I replaced reading books to audio books to make my work commute more productive, linked my calendar, sheets and notes to the cloud to easy access my agenda or to do list in my phone, set reminders and never leave for tomorrow what I can do today. One of my favorite reminders is to try to have fun with your business, the pressure is always on, so I’m trying to get used to that and enjoy every minute of it. Read more>>

BabiBoi | Rapper

It can be incredibly hard for an independent artist to manage both their artistry as well as their day-to-day life. It’s become even harder since quarantine to find ways to stay inspired while dealing with the pressing times. These days, I find that it’s best for me to work at my own pace and let the creative process flow organically. A lot of times when I try to rush or force myself to produce content it compromises the quality of what I’m working on. I’ve just recently got to a position where I’m ready to start focusing on my music again with new experiences and more things to talk about. Read more>>

Heidi Hansen | Founder and Designer of HEIDI HOUSTON

Work life balance is always a bit of a struggle as I know it is for most of us. Over the years I have learned that I don’t need to do All The Things. I am doing my best to focus on what works best and avoid the distractions. There is too much info out there, too many time wasters, and too many social apps that I don’t even try to keep up with it. With that said, I try to spend my daytime hours doing what has to get done so I don’t feel guilty when it’s family time. My husband is a business owner too. Through the years we have learned a good balance and one of us is always available for the kids. Read more>>

Noureen Dhanani | Designer & Creative Director at Noureen Dhanani

This is an interesting question. I am one of those people who is absolutely obsessed with their work. I was not always in this profession but since I have started my business, there is no such thing as work-life balance. My work is my life. I don’t recollect that in the last thirteen years of my career, there has been even one single day when I did not feel like getting up and going to work. If you told me to go to work at 3 a.m., I would be just be as excited for it. Read more>>

Sheena Binkley | Romance Author

When I started my writing career, I also had a full-time job as a manager. Working 40+ hours at my job during the day and writing at night has been quite stressful at times, especially when I have a situation at my day job, which delayed time from writing. But as time went on, I have found ways to not only balance out my time between work and writing but also with other factors that have made a significant impact in my life. I know with having a lot of energy and putting a lot of effort into something that you love to do, the results will appear; that’s why no matter if I have to write late nights and early mornings, I find the time to do what I absolutely love. Read more>>