{"id":3601,"date":"2023-01-25T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T18:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10043\/?p=3601"},"modified":"2023-02-14T19:47:13","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T01:47:13","slug":"heres-a-new-way-to-think-about-work-life-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atiba.com\/heres-a-new-way-to-think-about-work-life-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s a new way to think about work\/life balance"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared in\u00a0The Tennessean<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

“No one on his deathbed ever said, I wish I had spent more time at the office.” <\/strong>\u2013 Paul Tsongas<\/h4>\n

For many people, the holidays are the one time of the year when the \u201cwork-life balance\u201d scale tilts heavily toward the life side. \u00a0Whether you unplug and relax at home or take a vacation with family and friends, the holidays are a time when it\u2019s finally OK to take a well-deserved break.<\/p>\n

But bah humbug!<\/p>\n

Soon enough, as we all know, the work-life balance scale will tip back to the work side. \u00a0Some will be able to keep it in equilibrium, but for most of us it will be uneven with our jobs taking over most of our time and mental energy for another year.<\/p>\n

When you stop and think about it, it sounds downright depressing. \u00a0Working hard for most of the year with only a few days here and there to prioritize life, no matter how you slice it, it isn\u2019t balanced at all.<\/p>\n

When I first started working after college, achieving work-life balance was a goal, but in reality, I was more focused on the work part. \u00a0I figured that starting out, life would need to take a back seat to work until I became successful enough to take my foot off the gas. \u00a0No pain, no gain, right?<\/p>\n

About 10 years into my career, a friend who was worried about my lack of work-life balance emailed me a quote: \u201cNo one on his deathbed ever said, I wish I had spent more time at the office.” This made sense\u2014life is short, and I certainly didn\u2019t want to be on my deathbed regretting all the time I\u2019d spent on my career.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I took the message to heart. \u00a0I knew I needed to even things out, but how? \u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Working long hours and weekends is pretty much required, especially for entrepreneurs. \u00a0I had read stories of successful people like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Steve Jobs working day and night, prioritizing their work over all else.\u00a0 And from personal experience, I knew that there were no shortcuts.<\/p>\n

As I went through the daily grind trying to grow our company, I found myself wondering whether work-life balance was even a realistic aspiration.<\/p>\n

I would love to take credit for answering this question myself, but in truth I found the answer by asking others who\u2019d already figured it out.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what I learned:<\/p>\n