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.

Emily Claunch | Barber

For a long time, there was no work-life balance. For a few years, it felt like all I did was work. I’ve been cutting for about 5 years now and I am just now starting to find my balance. When you’re in charge of your own business it’s really easy to overwork yourself so you have to make time specifically for yourself so you don’t get burnout. In the beginning, I would go long periods of time without seeing people in my life that I would normally see multiple times a week. After having almost no balance for a few years, I started taking more time to take care of myself and to spend time with the people who are important to me. Read more>>

April Monterrosa | Publisher, Radio Personality, & Texas Legislative Honoree

It’s amusing how, during interviews, I’m frequently asked about balancing career, family, and personal time. I don’t believe there’s a perfect “balance” to it all. Instead, I find it more practical to choose what makes sense and is beneficial for me in the moment. As I’ve aged, I’ve come to realize that striving for balance often leads to stress and doesn’t yield the desired outcomes. Therefore, I don’t fixate on achieving balance. If something doesn’t align with my personal values and what I envision for my family and myself, I simply choose not to pursue it. Read more>>

Hande Koçhan | Freelance Illustrator

Work life balance actually depends on my mood and plans. I can’t say I’ve achieved the right balance yet. I’m still working on this. I think work life balance is more related to correct planning. Read more>>

Robert Del Quadro | Candle maker

Work-life balance has definitely has been a challenge once I decided to be an entrepreneur. Most people might have the misconception that once you decide to be an entrepreneur, “that’s your job, that’s your career, you can throw in the 9 to 5 and work for yourself no boss to listen to, everything is great.” Most of the time, this is not the case. I continue to work 50-60 work weeks and then work on my business in the hours left. What has worked best for me is making a schedule just as if I went and worked a 2nd job for someone else. Doing this I can actually schedule myself a day or 2 off and not feel guilty or stressed that there’s work to be done. Read more>>