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.
Rachel Bohbot | Baker and Decorator
I’ve always prided myself on having a very healthy work life balance. I take the necessary steps to make sure of this (such as having a designated work space at home so that I don’t mess with the balance of the house). Unfortunately, in the past few months, I’ve found that work was consuming my life. I believe in working hard, but when it comes at the expense of happiness and quality time with loved ones, one has to take a step back and reevaluate the situation. I was accepting more orders than I could physically handle, and that took time out of my sleep, personal time, and health. After noticing the physical and mental exhaustion, I knew I had to restore my work life balance. I successfully limited my availability and started properly valuing my time. I learned a very useful lesson and I intend on maintaining this balance throughout my career! Read more>>
Jana Angel | TV Host & Producer, Founder of Posh Theory Studios, and Co-Founder of Living Local Florida
To be perfectly honest, I don’t think a “work life balance” really exists. For me, it is more about finding a healthy work life integration. It is nearly impossible for me to be completely offline because A) I have no desire to be, I like being accessible and B) we have a continuous flow of projects and my team needs to be able to reach me. As a business owner and a leader I made the choice to create an environment where my creatives can keep the hours that work for their lives and when they perform the best. Read more>>
Davida-Mae Chambers | Music Video & Content Producer, Project Manager, Public Relations Chick.
I find that work life balance is generally most times hard to achieve, especially for me when you like & enjoy all the things you do. So the work becomes something you forget that you actually literally need to take a break from, lol. But I do think mental AND physically balance is very important. – It allows you to reset & refocus – Prevents burnout, which a lot of people don’t even realise their going through – It always you to release negative emotions & circle back under a new mind frame For me, my balance hasn’t changed over time. I still struggle to have a balance sometimes, but it happens because I need it to happen. My balance includes, going on adventures: find a river or a waterfall, something fun & fulfilling. Read more>>