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.

Paula Watts | Owner

Balance has become important to me. And I’d say that fact right there is the change. When I was younger, I had no balance. I was comprised of a lot of extremes. Extreme amount of work, then a hiatus, then all work, then all hiatus. I didn’t know I needed more daily or weekly balance. Becoming a parent has certainly shifted that, but also, I believe a little more wisdom into sustainable work and sustainable living. Read more>>

Ania Volovique | Mindset Coach & Branding Photographer

I don’t believe there’s such a thing as work life balance…at least not for me. I see them both so intertwined, there’s no need to balance. It’s all life. It’s a constant dance. Sometimes one is leading and the other follows, then it shifts. If I try to balance it, I’m forcing something out of its natural rhythm. Read more>>

Andrew Beltran | Co-Founder

Ever since 2020 started the word “Balance” has been a huge part of my growth, happiness and the way I choose to conduct my life. As we began to work from home I was kind of excited, I essentially was never unplugging working until 11:30 so I could try and be in bed my Midnight. This new normal felt like I was accomplishing so much, I’m sure you can guess what came next – Burnouts, A nasty twitch in my right eye, headaches, and bulking season came early. I needed to find Balance, This took an investment in my time management & discipline to do what’s right for me! I categorized what balanced looked like for me. : Mental Health, Daily Tasks, Fitness , Future goals & Chill T.F. out. In that order! Each one of these allowed me to maintain a high level of Productive while making sure my body was properly fueled to sustain through the marathon. Read more>>

Hattie Foote | Columnist & Photographer

Ah the elusive work life balance. Honestly there are days when I feel like I have it all together, and days when I feel like all the wheels are coming off. As a mother, wife, and business owner, I feel constantly pulled in every which direction, but I have found that it is incredibly important to put yourself first. Ask for help, just last week I was overwhelmed with work, laundry, and distance learning, I felt like I was drowning. I pumped the breaks, had my husband take the kids and ate a burrito by myself in the Target parking lot. Glamorous no, effective yes. Also don’t compare yourself or stress over the “perfection” portrayed on social media, it’s not real. At the end of the day, give yourself grace and appreciate the wins (big or small). We’ve got this (kind of)! Read more>>

Mikaela Vargas | Web Designer & Writer

To be 100% honest, this is something I’m still working on. I’ve made HUGE improvements and I’d go as far as saying the more you’re able to set boundaries and focus on self-care and schedule time away from work, the more successful you’ll be. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s oh so true. I used to work non-stop (I’m talking over 12 hour days and also on the weekends). And, even if I wasn’t working, I was still thinking about working. Now, I’ve set stronger boundaries (I don’t have my email on constantly throughout the day, I set more strict to-do lists that aren’t overwhelming, I schedule in work breaks, and take days off) and my business is better off doing so. Again, I still have a long way to go, but I’m so grateful for each step I take that includes more balance. Read more>>

Jamie Beals Ketelsen | Designer & Sewist

In life, it’s easy to get lost in the day to day grind and lose sight of family or even business relationships. Work too much, spend too little time with the family, end up disconnected and unattached. Ignore a customer for family reasons and cause a lack of trust and reliability in that relationship. Either of these things will have a negative impact on your life. My name is Jamie and I am the owner and Master Sewist of Heartbeat Clothing. My husband is Nick and he’s the founder of You are Not Marketing. Our daughter is 9-year-old Devi, the creator of HeArtbeat by Devi. In our family, we’ve taken a unique approach to work that includes all of our businesses in very unique ways. This has allowed us to create valuable experiences for our family while spending more time than ever, together. To make more family time, we have incorporated our daughter’s homeschooling into our business. Read more>>

Marc Sanchez | Upcycled Surfboard Shaper

When I first began I sorta adhered to the idea of “ do what you love and you will never work a day in your life” as time went on though realized even with something you love you have to compartmentalize to a certain extent. If you let it work can just take over your life. Balance is moderation and moderation In Everything. Read more>>