Mastering Work-Life Balance: Tips from Busy Executives
With all of the holidays, the end of the year can feel like a whirlwind, especially for executives balancing business deadlines with seasonal chaos. To help navigate through it, we turned to leaders across different industries to share how they keep their personal and professional lives afloat as busy executives.
Schedule What Matters Most
“Work-life balance for me isn’t about building a wall between the two. It’s about looking at my calendar and deciding what matters most right now. As a behavioral health executive, I put my kids’ school events on there like they are board meetings. Both are non-negotiable. Leaving the office for those things means I come back with a clearer head. When your team sees your schedule, they know what you value.”
Aja Chavez, Vice President of Mission Prep Healthcare
Let Your Team Lead, So You Can Too
“Running a restaurant and a restaurant association at the same time meant I couldn’t do it all. I used to check every single order in the kitchen. Now, my executive chef handles all of it, which frees me up to work with the city council on simplifying our permitting process. Letting go was hard, but I’m not missing my son’s soccer games anymore. You have to let your team run things.”
Allen Kou, Owner and Operator of Zinfandel Grille
Prioritize, Plan, and Protect Your Peace
“I dedicate my morning to deep work activities because I avoid all email correspondence and scheduled meetings during this time. The period of focus enables me to achieve mental clarity before the day becomes overwhelming. I dedicate my evenings to walking and dining with my wife without exception. The business opening period made me want to work continuously until I discovered that my exhaustion would negatively impact my team members.
Sunday planning has become my lifesaving routine, which I dedicate thirty minutes to review my upcoming week and decide which activities to prioritize first. This practice enables me to avoid experiencing feelings of guilt. I handle my yoga class at lunchtime by treating it as if I were attending a board meeting. The purpose of creating a wellness business becomes meaningless when I experience burnout.”
Damien Zouaoui, Co-Founder of Oakwell Beer Spa
Create Processes That Empower
“As a busy Executive Director of an animal nonprofit, I make it a priority to not only make sure others know how to do aspects of my job – both by creating instructional documents anyone could follow and engaging with and empowering staff to learn new skills for their personal career growth and development – but also frequently delegate specific tasks and duties that do not require my skill level or experience to accomplish. I prioritize other staff with high level skills focusing on them most too, while finding additional support for duties that can be shared among lower-level employees or volunteers. This does not mean piling more on others so I do less! I simply create a process and structure for scaling in everyday ways, so it happens more naturally over time.
As I continue to find more support, I also earn a little more freedom from being tied to work at all hours. In all, I work a lot, but I prioritize my time, especially when it comes to my sleep, downtime and health – but it is a challenge when the world just keeps on coming at you! Lastly, I do believe I set a good example for others by managing ’go getters,’ ensuring they do not burn out quickly and by spending time creating opportunities for ‘bystanders’ to get started and involved more through direct engagement. While this relationship building is labor intensive, it is worth it in the end when others will step up because you helped them find the purpose, passion and skills to do so. Plus, I really get to know people better this way, which is not only fun but usually makes for more willing participation and commitment. People want to help others they like, and who appreciate them.”
Jme Thomas, Executive Director of Motley Zoo Animal Rescue
Fuel the Fire, Then Step Back
“Balancing work and life as a busy executive requires purposeful practice and boundaries. Being DDR BBQ Supply CEO, I have discovered that the issue of life and work being like a dream smoke pit takes a lot of tolerance, time, and honor towards them.
Mornings are sacred to me, so a morning walk and breakfast with the family clears my head and begins the day on a fresh start. I schedule an hour without any distractions or meetings at work to ensure that I get work done productively. Evenings are non-negotiable dead time, usually reserved to cook or have a back yard cook out with those I love, and that revitalizes me fully.
I am also very delegative and trust my staff – this gives me more mental space to work on what requires my special attention. The ability to say no to unnecessary things has made the difference.
The concept of striking the right balance between work and life does not imply that it should be absolute equality on a daily basis, but rather it should respect priorities that bring about success in the long run. Similar to controlling a smoker it is a matter of timing and a matter of balance when to add fuel to the fire and when to sit back and allow the fire to burn.”
Brian Gunterman, CEO & Founder of DDR BBQ Supply
Bonus: Insights from an Executive Coach
“As an executive coach who works with senior leaders across industries like hospitality, healthcare, and manufacturing, I see one clear truth every day: work-life balance isn’t about working less; it’s about working smarter and setting hard boundaries.
Many of my clients are C-suite leaders running 24/7 operations. What separates those who thrive from those who burn out is how intentional they are with their time. For example, one healthcare executive I coach starts every day with a non-negotiable 30-minute morning routine that has nothing to do with work; no email, no Slack, no news. It sets the tone for the day. Another VP in the manufacturing sector built ‘sacred time’ into her calendar three evenings a week. She has time for her kids and herself. It’s blocked out just like a board meeting. If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t happen.
Here’s how I help leaders build what I call structured flexibility:
- Lock in your non-negotiables: family, health, and recovery, and protect them like a board seat.
- Delegate like your sanity depends on it, because it does.
- Set your boundaries out loud and stick to them.
- Treat personal commitments with the same weight as investor calls.
- Adjust your calendar before it adjusts you.”
Rich Gee, President of Rich Gee Executive Coaching
Based on these executives’ tips, work-life balance is not about achieving a perfect 50/50 split. Rather, it involves being intentional with professional and personal time, prioritizing what truly matters, and trusting the team to manage the rest. That way, leaders can set themselves and those around them up for success, both on and off the clock.
Bristol Associates, Inc. is an executive search firm with over 55 years of excellence in recruiting nationwide. Bristol specializes in recruiting for the Casino Gaming; Facility and Concession; Food and Beverage; Healthcare; Hotel and Resort; Nonprofit; Restaurant; and Travel, Tourism, and Attraction industries.
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