How to Balance Work and Personal Life Without Burning Out

High performers don’t burn out from work but from too many yeses.

EXPERT OPINION BY RASHELLE ISIP, PRODUCTIVITY COACH AND CONSULTANT, THE ORDER EXPERT® @THEORDEREXPERT

Illustration: Getty Images

High performers constantly juggle their personal life with their businesses. Not only do they want their businesses to thrive, but they want to enjoy time with family and friends and pursue hobbies. Somewhere along the way, however, they unintentionally overextend themselves. They say “yes” to every opportunity, and they need to balance their schedules. 

As a productivity coach, it’s my role to remind clients that while there’s an infinite desire for life experiences, there is a finite amount of time and availability. This applies to both professional and personal responsibilities and is greater than entries in a calendar. You must also account for sufficient recovery, recuperation, review, and reflection time. 

Here are some practical guidelines you can follow to reduce the chances of overextending yourself in your personal life. 

Put your life on paper. 

Writing down your personal life commitments forces you to carefully evaluate each one. It’s easy to underestimate schedules if you click digital invitations or add a calendar entry. Physically writing out your commitments makes them more real or tangible. Quickly sketch out your weekly schedule on a sheet of paper or calendar printout.  

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Be sure to include both weekday and weekend activities. Add basic personal activities like exercise, grooming, bathing, meals, taking care of family members, shopping, hobbies, chores, sports, housework, and travel time. You’ll use these as a reference point moving forward.  

Ask experiential questions. 

Next, you’ll want to ask yourself a series of questions to uncover more information about the personal experience you’ve been considering, be it a volunteer experience, community event, hobby, or sport. Any experience goes beyond simply showing up at the right place and time. There’s preparation, travel to and from, the experience itself, and recovery afterward. 

Practice getting in the habit of viewing all personal requests of your time, whether big or small, as mere pieces of the bigger picture. What will this experience look like as part of your life both now and in future? A volunteer opportunity may be of interest to you in your personal life, but it might require more time and energy than you have. 

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