Balancing Act: How Leaders Can Juggle It All With Grace

We all know the struggle of trying to keep our professional and personal lives in check. It’s like walking a tightrope, right? 

But fear not! In this article, we’re diving into some down-to-earth strategies to help you unlock efficiency and find that elusive work-life balance. 

So grab a cup of coffee, or a beverage of choice, take a deep breath and let’s jump into it. 

Time management needs to be your superpower 

Setting clear priorities is necessary for better time management.

The majority of executive and senior leadership positions require a careful balancing act between work and personal obligations. These executives deal with a wide range of obstacles and stakeholder concerns. It can be difficult to prioritise various interests in a way that meets everyone’s demands, and balancing these interests is particularly difficult when they disagree. But until we recognise the intrinsic complexity of these roles and how they affect our lives outside of work, we are unable to even begin to navigate the mechanics of time management.

Just a small number of scholars have studied the intricacies of time management and allocation for CEOs and top leaders during the previous 50 years. Nevertheless, their research has illuminated the pressures these top executives face. Among these studies, a Harvard research from 2018 offers thorough insights into the daily activities of CEOs, both inside and outside the office. Even though the study’s primary focus is on CEOs, we can infer that the conclusions drawn from it have application to other high-level executives in organisations.

The Harvard study emphasises how difficult leadership positions may be. It should come as no surprise that one of their results was that top leaders frequently put in long workdays, often extending into the weekends and holidays.

A paradoxical discovery

In the middle of this demanding work life, the study also revealed a potentially contradictory finding—these leaders are especially conscious of protecting their leisure time.

To be more precise, they work hard to safeguard their private time, maintain ties with family and friends, take up hobbies, prioritise physical activity, and get enough sleep—roughly seven hours per night. This phenomenon emphasises how crucial it is to manage your time well in order to strike a balance and draw boundaries between your personal and professional lives.

The study’s description in the Harvard Business Review highlights how “relentless” a CEO’s work is, emphasising the necessity for top leaders to follow the same regimented routine as professional sportsmen. Making time for health, exercise, and rest is not only important but also essential for them to be able to maintain and fulfil the demands of their roles.

The lesson for top leaders is obvious: time management requires a nuanced approach. Aware of the complexity of their tasks, people need to plan ahead and set aside time for both their personal and professional responsibilities. According to the study, senior leaders may continue to perform at a high level for an extended period of time by safeguarding their personal time, which is not a luxury but a requirement.

First, sharpen the axe

Abraham Lincoln is famously quoted as saying: “If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”

I adore this quote’s pragmatic approach. When we devote time to tending to our tools—particularly our bodies, minds, and souls—they provide us with optimal performance at times of need. They provide us with extra time by sparing us valuable time. However, if we ignore them, there’s a chance they won’t perform as effectively when we do need them, which will waste time.

Alternatively, worse even, they could fail and we would lose time or have to wait around while they get better.

Taking care of ourselves is almost as simple as ignoring it, but changing the way we do things requires preparation, work, and even humility. It is hardly surprising that we frequently decide not to take care of ourselves in a variety of crucial ways, even when we are aware that our neglect results in lower levels of efficiency, productivity, or even a less satisfying life.

Good news 

Even if we now have a pattern of cutting ourselves short, there is good news: we don’t have to live that way forever. Cutting oneself short can have a hefty cost. We must begin by taking small moves at a time and keep going from there. A small amount of deliberate work each day goes a long way toward living a more morally grounded, successful, well-rounded, and satisfying life.

Think about your time management and behaviours and how you can change them. You could start by posing to yourself the following questions: 

• In what ways am I failing myself? What fallout results from that carelessness?

• If I made an investment in myself, how might my life and job improve?

• When is the best moment for me to “sharpen my axe”? Could I set aside this time on my schedule every time?

• Which new habit am I hoping to develop? Why can’t I complete it this week or today?

• Does my ability to prioritise tasks and effectively manage my time need improvement? 

• Is there someone I can get in touch with for help?

It’s not as easy to consider these questions, and even more to work on them. 

However, as the Harvard study revealed, it is possible to achieve that fine balance between the demands of the workplace and one’s personal life. However, a more rigorous approach is required for a more sustainable and meaningful career path.

(Tashia Bernardus)