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.

Allison Sosebee | Digital Product Designer

When I accepted my first design internship back in college, I knew so little about the importance of boundaries and balance between work and my personal life. So many of the influences around me were encouraging a lifestyle of hustle-harder-sleep-when-you’re-dead nonsense, but maintaining that level of creative output without taking care of yourself is not sustainable. I used to fill all my spare time with work and social obligations – mistakenly equating rest to laziness – but now I do the complete opposite! As soon as 5 o’clock comes around, I close my computer and do whatever will bring me the most joy. If I’m being honest, a lot of nights that’s just watching TV, but it could also be baking or working on a new sewing project, or whatever I’m most excited about that week. In my experience, when I take breaks from digital design, I not only come back to work more refreshed, but I end up finding inspiration that helps keep me going. Read more>>

Erika Firm | Artist & Designer

Over time my work-life balance has changed tremendously. Early in my design career I worked around the clock, seven days a week. I did everything I could to accommodate clients: answering phone calls and emails at all hours, working all night to meet deadlines, and sacrificing family time for a paycheck. The inevitable happened: my health suffered and I essentially had to shut down my business. It took a few years of putting my health first and changing the type of projects I take on to get to a place I’m happy with. Today I realize that work-life balance is a myth. It’s more of a juggle. Paid work, licensing partnerships, parenting, family, health, fitness, housework, friendships, creative projects … there’s a lot going on all the time … and now throw in trying to juggle it all in the midst of civil unrest and a global pandemic! I try to pay attention to one thing at a time, and give myself a little grace when I drop a ball here and there. Read more>>

Amy Brown | Event Producer & Stage Manager

My work/life balance has completely changed with age. I went to school for theatre and work professionally in entertainment and events. There are two prevailing thoughts in this industry that really conflict with the entire idea of a work/life balance. First, it is generally understood that you work until the work is done. Call times (industry lingo for work hours) are typically long. A 12 hour day is standard. Events typically take place at night, so you report early to prepare and leave late once everything and everyone is gone. I’m actually currently writing this from the broadcast room for a virtual event that I’m working on. It’s 8:35pm and I got here at 8:00am, no end in sight yet. All of that to say, once this show wraps, I’ll be taking a few days off where all of my notifications are silenced and I won’t respond to emails; I’ll take that time to catch up on chores and spend quality time with my boyfriend and cat. I never would have done that when I began my career. Read more>>

Katherine Dunham | Licensed Professional Counselor & Registered Play Therapist

Work life balance is TOUGH. To be completely genuine, I’m still a work-in-progress. Growing up, I was very achievement-oriented and loved the validation that came with a “job well done”. I found myself at 16 taking all AP classes, working a part-time job, and participating in extracurricular activities on a daily basis. Constantly chasing validation resulted in overextending myself (picking up extra shifts, working late, sacrificing sleep for homework/work) and unfortunately burnout. While in graduate school, I learned how to manage and prioritize my time and more importantly, how to set boundaries. Not only boundaries with others, but also with myself. The latter is essential now that I am self-employed and run my own business. Small things I strive to do to help with work life balance include giving myself permission to not respond to emails immediately, taking time off for family visits and holidays, prioritizing time to recharge with friends, not over-scheduling myself (this one has been hard working as a therapist during a pandemic). Read more>>

Michelle Carranza | BRACHA, Co Founder

Learning how to balance being a C.E.O , wife and mother has been such a big challenge over the years. It helped that we have a great support system and props to our husbands for helping or stepping in when we had late work days. But as you grow a company it’s vital to learn balance. It’s very easy to keep going and leave behind other priorities that are important but because you’re focusing on your business 24/7 things can get missed and lost in the process of building your brand and business. With time we have learned to delegate, and pass off things that don’t need our absolute attention and have our amazing employees handle it. It frees your time up to really do what you need to do that we wouldn’t have gotten too because we were so busy doing it all when help was there all along. It allowed us to have time to think of bigger projects, ideas and ways to grow the brand. “ Read more>>