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.

Rivka Krinsky | Artist

I have been working as a painter for about ten years now. When I first started, I had just graduated college and I was single. I had all the time in the world to focus on myself and develop my creativity. Social media was barely a factor. Instagram was non existent. I would occasionally upload pictures to Facebook for friends to see but my work wasn’t affected by outside opinions or that internal pressure to post constantly. Read more>>

Letty Nowak | Artist & Retailer

For me work life balance is key. Making sure I get enough, ‘life’ in really helps my work. It has changed over time because I have recently become a mother to my 2 children so when I do sit down to work now, I feel more focused as my time is not as free as it once was. I feel I am making decisions more confidently. Read more>>

Tim Lipman | Executive Chef/Owner

Seven years into Coolinary and after opening The Parched Pig in 2017, Jenny – my wife and business partner – and I had rarely taken a day off other than Sunday, the one day we are closed. Coolinary was open for lunch and dinner 6 days a week. I was approaching 40, and there comes a time in our lives when you have to say what is all this worth if you don’t have any memories to look back on? So we made the difficult decision to close for lunch, news that was hard to share with so many faithful and beloved lunch patrons. Read more>>

Diana Valentin | Small Business Owner

The value of having a good work/life balanced definitely changed the minute I became a mom. When I was younger I had no problem staying late and working over time. I felt like I needed to prove myself at work where now, I only care about being a present mother to my son. I lost my job during the pandemic and when I was looking for work again, I made a decision that I would take a lower salary if it meant that I had a good work life balance. I’m no longer willing to give these companies more than they deserve out of me and my priorities are very different now that I’m older and a mother. Read more>>

Juni Arzeta | Musician/Graphic Designer

I’ve always wanted to be a free spirit since I was in Highschool ! Being able to balance work and mental health has always been very important to me. Starting my own clothing brand and making music part time has been very hard work, however being able to focus on my family and alone time has been beneficial. I’m still on the grind selling hoodies and t shirts online and also doing gigs and selling beats while working remotely. Physical exercise and eating clean has made the balance much easier. Read more>>

Kathy Rosario @kathysnapped | Music and Portrait Photographer

As I go through more experiences in my life, I realize what’s important to me and what steps I need to take to get on the road I want to be on. My balance continues to shift by these realizations. Over time, I’ve started to prioritize perfecting my craft and learning new things that inspire my art. The pandemic helped me in that regard due to its forced seclusion. I admit I heavily lean to one side and there are benefits to my career if I choose play over work sometimes. With having balance comes boundaries, discipline and learning to forgive yourself when you cross those boundaries. It’s easy to get pulled to one side of the scale and I’m still learning to be conscience of the shifts. Read more>>