24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. Junior investment bankers regularly work 80-90 hours a week. Many other high profile professions require the same level of commitment. Often those on the outside claim that working 80-90 hours a week is bad/wrong/terrible/silly/etc but we’ve spoken with so many folks who say working that much has been the best decision of their life – it allowed them to develop a deep and strong skill set far faster than would have been possible otherwise. In other words, by working 2x the hours, they were able to generate 5x or more the rewards. And depending on where you are in your career, investing heavily in your skills and competence can pay dividends for a long time.

Bobbi Broome | Storyteller, Filmmaker, and Film Programmer

My balance has changed tremendously and will keep changing as I continue in my different stages of life. The main thing I have learned and will keep learning is that everything takes time. Adapting to change has never been easy. It’s okay to take breaks and to be kind to myself during transition periods. When I was an undergrad, work-life balance was never something that crossed my mind. Read more>>

Joyie Lai | Producer / Engineer

I am still in the midst of figuring out my work life balance. But I can say that I’m getting better at it. I’d learnt to be patience with myself and give myself breaks when I need. I’ve never seen the importance of work life balance before as I’d always enjoy what I’m doing. I often find myself telling myself “I’ll just edit these drums and then I’ll go to sleep” and the next thing it’s already 4am in the morning and I’m still working on the mix. I remember someone once told me “if you don’t take time for your health, you’ll end up needing to take time for your illness.” Read more>>

JAMS The Flava Child | Rapper

Balance is everything. I journal, mediate, workout and stay outside because that’s what makes my soul feel good, but its the best way to balance the stress of this music industry. I strive to achieve life balance everyday. I used to be super goal oriented, that makes it tough to balance your life – living with the highs and the lows. So these days I depend on building a system to reach my goals. Live more simple. Want less and be more present. But I think in order to be great you sacrifice balance a lil bit. It comes with the territory.. Read more>>

Kelly J Glusovich | Designer, Educator, Barber

I now understand that balance is truly noticeable in longer spans of time, than in shorter ones. When looking for results within a week or month, we can find ourselves dissatisfied with the results. However, the discipline and efforts in a certain direction can better be seen over a longer stretch of time. Read more>>

Cheng-Hsien (Bin Bin) Kuo | Actor

The evolution of my work-life balance has actually been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. When I first started acting, I was taking every audition and part I could. I dove fully into my work with passion, savoring the long hours, irregular schedules, and constant excitement as part of the adventure because I wanted to grab every opportunity. I was completely immersed in my craft, and I relished every minute of it. Read more>>

Kelly Piliouras | Fitness/Gym Fanatic, Comedian & Actor

I think there’s this societal pressure that we see on social media to always be grinding at your dreams and work work work, but in reality life is happening at every moment and if we don’t slow down; we’ll miss it. Over the years I have taken that “grind at the dream 24/7” advice with a grain of salt; I still work hard at my goals but I slow down and take in the little moments more. Read more>>

Svetlana Vasina | Visual artist & Illustrator

When you have a flexible schedule and are self-employed, balancing work and life is often challenging. Usually, my alarm is set for 8:30 am. I start my day with yoga or running (not always, of course!) and aim to get to my home office by 10 am. I always have a cup of coffee and jump on my laptop to go through emails and urgent tasks. Read more>>

Jenn Cohen | Marketing Executive, Mama x2 & Podcast Host

I call BS on work life balance. It’s a fallacy that sets all of us up for failure, particularly those of us working mothers who constantly feel like we’re either letting someone down at work or letting someone down at home. If I’m leading an important meeting and feeling prepared and confident, I might be feeling guilty that my sick toddler is watching another hour of Disney+ on the couch alone. If I’m attending my son’s Robot Day parade at daycare Read more>>