Opinions expressed by entrepreneurs’ colleagues are their very own.
Oscillate. The word itself recalls images of a perfectly even scale, no side tilts too far in any direction. However, achieving balance has never been tougher. According to Gallup in 2024. The state of the global report in the workplaceThe stunning 41% of employees around the world report every day stress – the highest level of Gallup has ever noted.
What does it really mean to live in balance? Is it a bit and a little bit of it – a compromise in which none of the parties has enough? Does the pursuit of balance ultimately create a losing situation? Perhaps this is something completely different – a deeply personal state that evolves, shaped by the outflow and flow of our priorities.
The nature of the balance
Balance is often considered a percentage of time spent on work and life, but is this definition too simplified? Imagine an executive director who spends 70% of his time, but feels fulfilled and energized by his professional role. Compare them with someone who spends an equal amount (50%) of time for personal and professional classes, but is exhausted and unintentional.
And what about the one that works most of the time is at home only 20% of the time, but he has a great time with those they love and is also satisfied at work? Compare this with a one that removes their professional duties inside two days of labor, but is dissatisfied with his personal environment. Who is really in balance?
The truth is that the balance is relative. It is not only about allocation of time, but the quality and joy of each side of the scale. A flowering one person can seem like burn out one other person, and this is normal. The key is to define what a balance means for you – not your colleagues, boss or artificial social norms.
Outside the scales
If the balance does not apply to symmetry, it might be about equalization. Think about how what we value, determines our balance. Not all features of life have an equal weight for everyone. For some, the family can dominate their scale; For others it is a profession ambition. And what we value today is probably not what we value later. We can appreciate or set priorities time with family in one stage of our lives than during others. When we adapt our time and energy with what we actually value, we discover a sense of harmony, even if the scale seems “unbalanced” for outside people.
Another perspective is the perception of balance as a matter of joy. What if the idea of balance completely disappears when joy becomes our guide? If we love most of what we do – is it at work or at home – does the time of time matter? The day filled with purposeful tasks and significant relationships is a well -issued day, no matter its composition.
How we spend time is our alternative. Consider: in a sense, “I can’t” is inaccurate, answering if we will participate in something. “I can’t participate in my daughter’s football match because I have a meeting” is inaccurate. You are going to say: “I will not participate in a football game because I want to be at an important business meeting.”
Forced yourself to replace “I can’t” “I can’t” and see how I feel – you possibly can select how to spend time in another way. When you realize that your decisions are yours, not from the world around you, you’ll make higher decisions that bring harmony.
Finally, balance is often more quality than quantity. Spending a lot of time on something does not guarantee success. Investing in short, but deeply significant moments with family could appear more “balanced” than the one who spends the whole weekend at home, but is emotionally absent. Similarly, the purposefulness of labor can transform long hours into satisfying experience. True presence matters.
Given the needs of your team
Balance is not only an individual chase, but also supporting the supporting environment for your team. Check recurrently with team members. Are they blissful? Are their needs met? One powerful tool to investigate this is the “interview with the stay”, the concept supported by Beverly Kaye. Unlike the starting interviews that come too late, interviews with stay are proactive conversations that help to discover what maintains the involvement of team members and what can push them away.
Ask them: “Are you happy at work and what can I do to make everything better?” Active listening and satisfying the individual needs of the team, you create an environment in which collective energy and well -being can develop.
Meeting of business athletes
As an executive trainer cooperating with a whole lot of older leaders, I noticed that those that maintain energy and avoid burnout, accept the way of considering of a “business athlete”. Athletes do not train endlessly; They rest, get well and listen to their bodies. Similarly, leaders who stand out in the long run know when to push forward and when to retreat.
This way of considering rotates around three basic principles. The first is self -awareness: recurrently assessing what the drains and complement you. The second is a deliberate recovery, which implies prioritical actions that load your mental, emotional and physical energy.
Finally, leaders rely on immunity practices resembling mindfulness, exercise and significant social connections to bounce away from stress. Together, these practices create a balanced approach to maintaining energy and focusing in the future.
Is the term “balance between professional and private life” nonsense*t?
Perhaps the whole concept of balance between professional and private life is defective. Instead of striving for a mythical balance, what if we focus on integration of labor and life with a coherent, joyful whole? This integration admits that our professional and personal life is deeply related. By covering this reality, we will create a life in which each domain supports and improves the other.
“Integration of professional life is conducive to balance as a by -product,” explains Laura Fay, executive advisor and director at BTS. “It’s not about stiff division of work and personal life, but about creating systems that allow them to swim smoothly and swim.” Trust is mandatory for this approach to work: “employers must give people the freedom to manage their time without a microphone or fear of judgment.”
The guideline of Singapore
The key moment in my journey to understand balance got here at the YPO conference in Singapore. In a room filled with 1000’s of general directors and founders, we listened to the predominant speaker (I regret that I do not remember his name), who was sitting at the deathbed of 1000’s of individuals, offering them consolation in the last moments. The speaker shared a deep truth: at the end of their life, people almost universally ask the same two questions: “Was I loved enough?” And “did I love enough?”
This insight was the guideline for me. When I ponder on either side of the scale – personal and professional – I ask myself whether I create and experience sufficient love, combination and purpose. This perspective changes balance as a pursuit of what really matters than a stiff division of time.
Call to act
So how are you going to go from burnout to balance? Take these steps to start:
Define your priorities
Take some time to think about what really matters to you. Save it. Visit often.
Measure joy, not an hour
Rate your day based on moments that brought you joy or success, and it is unattainable to divide time.
Build your energy tool set
Identify the activities that cover you and make them negotiating a part of the routine. Experiment with internships until you discover what works.
Get involved with your team
Perform regular check -in and consider tools resembling “interview with staying” to understand and meet the unique needs and aspirations of your team.
When you set off on this journey, do not forget that balance is not a destination, but a dynamic process. Don’t get ready for failure. There can be hard times and higher. The scales can be suggestions, life is evolving and you too. The goal is not perfection, but life wealthy in goal, joy and immunity. Start today – create a life that energizes and inspires you at work and outside.