Founders share their tips and tricks for staying sane (and productive).
3 min read
This story appears in the
April 2019
issue of
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1. Schedule it.
“Google calendars truly are amazing — we block out hours on them to create the free time and head space we need as cofounders. From ‘No-Plans Wednesday’ nights to daily lunch and work blocks, we use organization to create balance. Also, did you know that Slack has a snooze feature? Highly recommend between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.!” — Jordana Kier, cofounder, Lola
2. Announce it.
“I make it clear to the people who work for me that I need a break to recharge. I only unplug when I have provided the context to the rest of the team so that it’s never unexpected. I make time to be with family, eat, watch movies, and not talk about work. When 99 percent of my conversations revolve around work-related issues, simply not talking about it can provide a lot of perspective.” — Matt Scanlan, cofounder and CEO, Naadam
Related: Entrepreneurs Are Scheduling Their Days Down to the Minute for Ultimate Success
3. Don’t do it!
“Being an entrepreneur and doing what you love, there’s no such thing as work-life balance. Instead, it’s about work-life integration. Before this sounds sad, sociologists actually have done research and found that people with work-life integration are in fact happier, since it means they love what they do. I’m lucky enough to work on something that’s so fulfilling, I like to do it all the time. It’s part of who I am.” — Sophie Kahn, cofounder, Aurate
4. Ask for it.
“My husband and I travel a decent amount for both work and pleasure. On a recent trip to Tulum, we asked our team to give us a day off from questions. I turned off my email notifications and didn’t check in all damn day. It felt amazing. And not surprisingly, our team survived without us.” — Cyndi Ramirez, founder and CEO, Chillhouse
5. Invest in it.
“I’m a firm believer that everyone deserves to live a remarkable and fulfilling life. But the question is how? And the answer is inspired adventure. Find your version of this by choosing an interest you can get lost in, whether it be cartography, hiking national parks, or growing heirlooms. Find a passion that allows you to escape your work mindset.” — Tim Sharp, CEO, Best Made Co.
Related: I’m a Woman Entrepreneur Who Created a Better Work-Life Balance. How You Can Do That, Too.
6. Share it.
“As part of a husband-and-wife cofounding team, I’m not going to say it’s easy. Early on, we tried finding our pause by saying, ‘On Friday night, we’re going to take off our cofounder hats and put on our husband and wife hats.’ This never worked. We’ve learned to accept that we’re always going to be wearing both hats at the same time — we love what we do, so why wouldn’t we want to discuss our passion at the dinner table? It’s helped us find better pause and space more often and more holistically.” — Dave Cho, cofounder and CEO, Soko Glam
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