What’s the right balance between work and non-work time? The traditional 9-5 has slowly disappeared with the emails and zoom and texting going far beyond traditional business hours. We asked members of our community to share with us how they think about work-life balance.

Colleen Hennessy | Painter & Photographer

My work/life balance has changed a great deal over time. In the 1980’s, I went from kitchen sinks, to a basement darkroom, and finally a small space for printing photographs (though I miss the magic of the darkroom. With my painting, I graduated from a small table in a jungle house in Central America to an easel, and finally a two-car garage that has been converted into a studio. I have managed nicely and been prolific in my work no matter what space was available to me at the time. The work life balance has been a challenge in recent years, as I juggle my time as an Early Childhood Education Assessor for a non-profit organization. I devote most of my spare awake time to making art. The balance is improving all the time, as I am able to devote a good part of my week to my creative work and experimentation. Read more>>

Rebecca Wolf | Personal Chef & Yoga Instructor (Overall Wellness Enthusiast)

When you’re running your own business it’s easy for all hours to become work hours. I’ve had to set pretty clear parameters for when I engage in work, otherwise I could find myself Meal Planning or responding to a client’s email at 5AM. But I am responsible for setting the expectations for my availability and I have to strike that balance between my work and my life. Even with as personal as this work is to me, it cannot be all of me. I believe a life of balance is more sustainable than a life of rigidity. Pushing too hard and not finding balance, even with the best of intentions, only leads to burn out and resentment of the work, and that’s true for anything: a diet, a workout plan, etc. — nothing is black and white, we have to embrace the balance. But I’ll be honest, it’s hard to put the work down when you love it so much!. Read more>>

Elizabeth Curry | Executive Coach & the ONE thing Implementation Partner

I look at it as a counter balance- achieving a balanced life is a myth. As a woman, wife, mother, entrepreneur life pulls you in many directions- counter balance is how you survive. Having a relationship with my values & goals allows me to be appropriate in the moment. Some days that’s 1×1 coaching and some days it’s watching my daughter ride her horse. Read more>>

Tyler Hobbs | Photographer & Graphic Designer

The work life balance has always been a struggle for me. Running your own business is hard. You are often working at night and on the weekends. I used to spend all my free time thinking about work. Even when I wasn’t working I would think about what I needed to do when I got back to work and would quickly add on to my already miles long to do list. It wasn’t until the last year or so that I really started to feel it take a toll. I wasn’t as excited about work as I had been before and I wasn’t fully enjoying the moments when I was with my family and friends. I have had to make an extreme effort to make the balance between work and life even. I am taking more time to be creative, to spend with family and friends and to enjoy activities that I like to do away from work. It is a long process and I wouldn’t say I have mastered the balance yet, but I’m trying to even it out a little bit everyday. Read more>>

Sean Harmer | Custom Woodworker & CNC Designer

Since starting my woodworking business, I’ve learned a lot about the importance of work life balance. Initially, it was easy to put a lot of pressure on myself to work long hours and consistently spend as much time as i could building my business. To a large degree, putting in the time is paramount for any new business. It builds character and sets the pace for your work ethic. Its incredibly important to put in the long hours and devote your mind space to your business but eventually this will wear you down in the long run. In my experience, a few years worth of 60-80 hour weeks was enough to burn me out but this developed a 6th sense per say of work ethic that i now feel like I’ve earned. I may not work as many hours per week, but my mind is trained to be able to think about work consistently and still take much needed breaks. I’ve earned my relaxing weekends and shorter days and can put that extra time back into myself, my family and friends. Read more>>

Katie Brinkley | Social Media Strategist and Coach

One reason why I think a lot of people decide to start their own business is for the flexibility to work on their own schedule. I know that was one of the reasons that I started my own business. I love the opportunity to take my daughters to and from school and be there for their events. However, I would be lying if I didn’t say that I have worked harder and more hours than I ever did at any of my previous corporate jobs. It can be a lot of work (and long hours) when you start your own company but it is extremely rewarding. Read more>>