A Case for Life Balance, Plus Some Exciting Events Ahead

Hope you enjoyed the long weekend here in Kuwait. While I wanted (and did manage) to spend more time with the family, I found it hard to detach from work completely. This is a constant struggle entrepreneurs face: striking a balance between work and the rest of life (be it family commitments, health, leisure, etc).

I’d like to share a few thoughts on the importance of life balance, both as a reminder for me and hopefully inspiration for you:
Despite the startup obsession with a 24/7 work schedule, burnout is as bad as laziness: both lead to low productivity, and can be harmful to your health and your startup’s prosperity
Time off from work, and the engagement in other activities, can fuel creativity and productivity, rather than compromise them
Strained family relationships can create internal tensions that distract you from your work, which makes you miss out on both family time and work
One of the biggest productivity boosters has nothing to do with the amount of hours you put into your work. And that productivity booster is: exercise! Half an hour of exercise a day may seem like a big time commitment in a busy schedule, but it enhances the quality of the hours you put into your work
The quality of the first hour you work in won’t be the same as the quality of the eighth hour, due to the law of diminishing returns. Throwing more time at a project is not always the best solution. What are your best work hours? And how should you spend them?
Parkinson’s Law dictates that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” If you give yourself two hours to complete a task it’ll take two hours. If you give yourself four hours to complete the same task it’ll take… four hours (another reason why you should maintain healthy boundaries for your work schedule)
How do you approach life balance? And what can you commit to in the next week to ensure that you have greater balance in your life, and more accomplishment at work?

Haider
Learning & Laughter Officer