Quick snippets from our morning read on Wednesday, 09th December 2020
Today’s morning read focuses on the importance of work-life balance. Where as the advice shared in this article by Zirtual Team is mainly from entrepreneurs, this applies to anyone. This article summarizes the results from interviews of 24 entrepreneurs and startup leaders about work-life balance carried out by Zirtual.
Investing in work life balance is essential if you want to survive as an entrepreneur and build a successful business. In response to these two questions, this is what the founders and business owners had to say about work-life balance. We share some of the responses from the interviews.
Why does work/life balance matter to you and why should it matter to other entrepreneurs and leaders?
“Because like a racehorse you cannot constantly have it running races. It needs rest, time in the paddock, training and prep. You need to treat yourself the same. All the most successful entrepreneurs have a good work life balance!” — Nathan Chan (@foundr), CEO at Foundr Magazine
“It matters because my job is not my life, and my life is more important than my job. I don’t buy this Silicon Valley notion of dedicating your life to your job or your business. I don’t think it’s necessary for business success, or even beneficial. I think it’s antiquated. I tell my team, “This business matters a lot to me, but my family comes first, and I hope your families come before your job.” By putting the most important things first, I’m happier, but I think our business is also more successful because our team is incredibly loyal and dedicated as a result.” — Josh Steimle (@joshsteimle), CEO at MWI
“Work/life balance matters to me because as often as I may fail, I strive to do my work and life all to the glory of God. Practically, that means being diligent to do everything to the best of my ability. I believe it’s important for other entrepreneurs/leaders because we are holistically beings. If we don’t get enough exercise, we’ll be prone to sickness, which can make work harder. If live is stressful at home, that will cloud the decisions made at work.” — Jason Quey (@jdquey), Founder at Cofounders With Class
What is your #1 actionable tip for balancing work and life / work and family?
“Setting a schedule. My work day pauses at 5pm. That’s when I go home to help my kids with homework, make dinner, hold the baby, or whatever else is most helpful for our family at that time. We sit down and eat together, read together, do our bedtime routine together. Once the kids are in bed, I’m back on my computer working through the night. It’s not perfectly balanced, but it’s what works for us right now. Setting that schedule is critical to making sure that my family knows that I’m still here, even when I’m working “founder’s” hours.” — William Harris (@wmharris101), CEO at Elumynt
“Be strict with time, my calendar is blocked in the afternoons for family time. A solid slot of a couple of hours every day lets the company team member know they can handle urgent things or wait, while family knows I’m there.” — Dennis van der Heijden (@dennisvdheijden), CEO at Convert.com
“It’s easy to get sucked into work because there’s always something you need to do to grow your company. However, by neglecting other aspects of your life, you’re actually shooting yourself in the foot in the long-term. To maintain work/life balance, I use the same system that I do at work – schedule it in! Block off times in your calendar to meet friends or family, go snowboarding, learn salsa, or whatever else to take your mind off work and regain your creative energy.” — Sid Bharath (@Siddharth87), VP of Growth at Thinkific
Read the full article – 24 Leaders Get Real on Balancing Work and Life
And as always, if you enjoyed this, check out the rest of our daily snippets, curated daily, right here on The Red Notebook.
