Managing Expectations For Work-Life Integration

Annnd we're back! I spent the last 30 days traveling with family and took an intentional break from writing. Here are 5 breakthrough lessons on how to blend work + life from my trip: 1. Break your work into components. Too many people worry about their work-life "balance" when they should be focused on a work-life "blend". For me, this means not trying to run away from "work" and rather focus on chunking it down into its various components so I can create flexibility in HOW I work. 80% of the work that bogs me down are the video calls: pitches, investor updates, 1:1's, sales calls, etc. Cutting those out left critical "deep work" that could be nurtured - vision exercises, product roadmapping, hiring definitions, intention setting - all while traveling and not available during "typical" hours. 2. Leverage downtime to create breakthroughs. Take a step back to take a LEAP FORWARD. As a founder, your biggest gains will come from exponential breakthroughs. Those moments are fostered when you are in the right mindset. Stepping outside leads to breaking up your pattern of thinking and allows for more creative discourse. This goes back to point #1. When you blend work and life....you take the restful and joyous moments of life to fuel the creative problem solving needed for work. A lot of my inspiration comes from listening to audiobooks while running or cycling. Right now, I'm loving Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday. Give it a listen! 3. You have to feed your support system. As a leader/founder/CEO - you are only as good as your team. Depending on your work style, you're probably in the weeds a lot. When you step out, it gives them an opportunity to take control and implement things the way they would like to without constant over site. It pressure tests them in some ways and hopefully it excites in other ways. You also begin to see the facets of your work that you can let go and what the team really needs you for. People want to be led and taking the time to foster motivation and alignment is more important the perfecting a few pixels. 4. Slow down to speed up. Having more time away from our product, I could see that we were doing a lot. More features, more integrations, more stuff - but how much of it is actually being used by a high % of customers? It may me reconsider how we could more narrowly focus our mission on our core functionality. I asked myself - how can we do more with less? I don't want a more employees - I want a more efficient team that gets more out of what it builds. 5. Have fun. Life is short...find a way to love what you do and do what you love. I'm a big believer in sacrificing in the short-term for long-term gain, but I also have found that you can still enjoy and appreciate that "sacrifice". Training for an marathon for example means a lot of sacrifice, but I still find myself loving the process. Your work should feel like that - requires a lot of discipline, but it's something you actually enjoy. ✌️

One of the hardest truths I learned during my 20 years at EY is this: Achieving work-life balance may be impossible, but attaining WORK-LIFE HARMONY is within reach. The idea of a Big 4 balance—where everything fits neatly into place—is a myth. The real goal isn’t perfect equilibrium; it’s alignment. It’s about making sure the time you dedicate to work, ambition, and personal life aligns with your values — and feels right for you. 10 truths about achieving work-life harmony: #1. There isn’t a “right” ratio — only the right rhythm. Some weeks, work takes precedence. At other times, personal priorities come first. Harmony involves accepting that flow — and trusting that it balances out over time. #2. Guilt is a poor compass. If you’re always feeling guilty — whether for working too much or not enough — you're judging yourself by someone else’s standards. Set your own. #3. Ambition comes with a price — but it should be one you’re ready to pay. Long hours and late nights are part of life in the Big 4 — but they should fulfill a purpose you believe in. #4. Busyness does not equal fulfillment. Feeling overwhelmed isn’t a badge of honor. True harmony comes from knowing you’re investing your energy in what matters most. #5. Your values dictate the rules. If family time is sacred, safeguard it. If career advancement is your top priority, pursue it — unapologetically. #6. Harmony means learning to say no—without regret. Turning down a social event or declining an ambitious project doesn’t indicate failure; rather, it signifies a choice that aligns with your priorities. #7. You can’t “make time” — you can only take it. High achievers don’t find time for what matters — they seize it fiercely and deliberately. #8. Success isn’t measured by hours; it’s measured by impact. Some people work 70 hours a week and see no progress, while others focus for 40 hours and achieve great things. Effort is important, but results matter even more. #9. Setting boundaries is an act of respect—for yourself and others. Protecting your time isn’t selfish; it enables you to fully engage in every area of your life. #10. What feels “balanced” to you may look extreme to others — and that’s okay. Harmony isn’t about pleasing everyone — it’s about aligning your time and energy with what you truly value.

Let’s talk about this idea that assistants are supposed to be “always on.” Do you ever feel that way? Always available. Always responding. Always anticipating. Always absorbing. Always… exhausted. Somewhere along the way, “being indispensable” started to feel like “being on call for life.” And I’m here to tell you that’s not sustainable. That’s not leadership. And that’s definitely not the path to long-term career fulfillment. If you’re constantly running on fumes, here’s your reminder: Being excellent at what you do should not require you to disappear into your role. Here are a few real steps to help you reclaim your time and find better work-life integration: ✅ Set real boundaries—and enforce them. Decide what “off” looks like for you (after hours, during PTO, etc.) and communicate it with clarity and confidence. You're not being difficult. You're being professional. ✅ Build systems that support you. Automate. Delegate. Document. You don’t have to carry everything in your head. Smart workflows give you breathing room and protect your peace. ✅ Have the hard conversations. If your executive thinks 10pm messages are normal, it’s time for a reset. Explain what you need in order to show up as your best and not as your most burned out. ✅ Remember, as the old saying goes, you teach people how to treat you. Consistency matters. When you start honoring your own time, others will too. You can be excellent and have a life. You can be high-performing without being always available. You can evolve without running yourself into the ground. Let’s retire “always on” and replace it with always aligned. Who’s working on better boundaries this year? Drop a 💬 and let me know how it's going. #evolvedassistant #administrativeassistant #executivesupport #administrativeprofessionals #executiveassistant