What do you do if your work-life balance is suffering in a demanding Strategy role?

prioritize tasks and set realistic deadlines to manage workload effectively. Delegate responsibilities where possible to alleviate pressure and consider discussing flexible working arrangements with your employer. Regularly assess your work-life balance, making adjustments as necessary and ensuring time for rest, hobbies, and family to maintain overall well-being.

If you are having problems with a work-life balance whilst working in strategy, then I would suggest to use the same principles that you use in strategy to your life as well. Set some clear objectives, focus and prioritize, be both adaptable and flexible, manage risks and be responsible for yourself and how you allocate your time. Someone who works in strategy and is becoming burnt out will not help the business at all and could possibly damage it if they are not at their peak.

Clarity and focus will enable you to understand what really matters and identify your key outcomes. I believe prioritising and delegating with transparency can help. Everyone has their own set of circumstances and adaptation is key but managing expectations upfront will alleviate the impact down the line. Eg. Those 7 deliverables realistically will take 180 men days to deliver, if it has to be done in the next 3 calendar months, we might have to revise effort and resourcing.

Smart working needs daily planning of the doable and not-doable activities (where you are just process participant not process owners) at your end and essentially prioritize them as per demand of the hours to achieve daily and weekly goal. Calculate the available hours to work and accordingly fix your speed and manage the same within timeline on daily basis to align your strategic objective. It impacts significantly to balance the work-life. It also helps to celebrate in off hours.

Remember, it's called work-life balance for a reason. Don't let the scale tip too far in one direction :) 1?? Prioritize: Not everything is 'urgent'. Learn to differentiate. 2?? No to Multitasking: Focus on one task at a time. It's not lazy, it's efficient. When you're focus, you can accomplish MANY more things in a short period of time than doing gazillion things all at once... 3?? Boundaries: Set clear lines between work and personal time. You're a human, not a machine. 4?? Delegate: Trust your team. It's not shirking, it's sharing. 5?? Self-Care: Invest time in things you love. It's not indulgent, it's essential.

To restore work-life balance in a demanding strategy role, set clear boundaries. Define non-negotiable personal time slots for relaxation, hobbies, and family. Communicate boundaries assertively with colleagues and managers, reinforcing the importance of personal time for well-being and productivity. Delegate tasks effectively, prioritizing critical responsibilities and empowering team members. Utilize technology to disconnect during personal time. Consistently uphold boundaries, fostering a culture of respect for work-life balance within the organization.

In my experience if you encourage those around you to set boundaries too and then reinforce the respect for those boundaries when used, yours are more likely to be respected with less resistance. It is better if you can bring others along with you.

Setting boundaries is key. Even in a demanding role you need your personal time for yourself and family. Jobs go and come. Your family is forever. Know where your priorities are. Delegate and get additional resources both people and IT related if necessary.

Define Your Limits: Identify what is acceptable to you in terms of work hours, communication outside of work, and the types of tasks you're willing to take on. Communicate Clearly: Clearly communicate your boundaries to your colleagues, supervisors, and clients. Let them know when you are available to work and when you are not. Use assertive yet respectful language to convey your boundaries. Learn to Say No: Don't be afraid to decline additional tasks or responsibilities if they exceed your capacity or encroach upon your personal time. Saying no assertively and diplomatically is essential for preserving your boundaries.

In my experience, in order to maintain a work-life balance, boundaries are imperative. Choose a designated time to conclude work each day and stick to it. Consider disabling work-related notifications outside of these hours. Communicate these boundaries clearly to coworkers and supervisors to foster mutual respect and prevent work from encroaching on personal time. Remember, boundaries extend beyond physical limits; allow yourself mental detachment from work as well. Once again, it needs personal commitment.

To manage time effectively in a demanding strategy role and restore work-life balance, prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. Break down large projects into smaller, manageable tasks and allocate specific time slots for each. Utilize productivity techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique to maintain focus and prevent burnout. This is best technique that I, usually apply and advocate for the same. Delegate tasks when possible to lighten the workload. Regularly review and adjust priorities to adapt to changing demands. Finally, set aside dedicated time for relaxation and self-care to recharge.

This has been a constant challenge for me, and it keeps getting worse. In a resource-constraint environment where one has to juggle strategic and operational role, the time to think, reflect and plan is compromised as you are constantly pressed hard to respond to here-and-now situations. Even if you have planned to stay off the immediate tasks and take a break to focus on the strategic issues, the mind-space is fully occupied with things that need urgent attention. Time Management thus, is linked to creating space for oneself to get out of everyday tasks and think of wider, long-term, strategic issues. It reflects perhaps on what we are able to let go and what others in the team should take care by themselves with little or no oversight.

Set Clear Goals: Define your short-term and long-term goals to provide direction and purpose to your activities. Prioritize Tasks: Identify the most important and urgent tasks, and tackle them first. Use techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks based on their importance and urgency. Create a Schedule: Plan your day or week in advance, allocating time for specific tasks and activities. Use tools like calendars, planners, or digital apps to organize your schedule. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps to make them less overwhelming and easier to accomplish.

Improve your time management skills to optimize productivity and efficiency in your strategy role. Prioritize tasks, set realistic deadlines, and use techniques such as time blocking or the Pomodoro technique to maintain focus and avoid burnout.

Set the goal of working no more than x** hours per day. Then focus on delivering the most important 2 kpi’s (not three) that make your clients and boss happy. Make the 2 kpi’s about creating 7 to 9 figure value within your max of x hours. The game is creating more value in less hours. ** Clarify the amount of hours for your work-life balance. Do you need to work 8 hours 5 days a week for balance? Or 10 hours 6 days a week? Feel free to iterate.

If your work-life balance feels stagnant, strengthen your leadership and strategic skills. Evaluate your situation, envision your ideal work-life balance, devise a solution, outline your tasks, identify what you can delegate, and communicate your needs and plans to your boss.

For me. I would prioritise and put more time, energy and thinking on strategic or urgent for the business or people and have alternative or innovative methods to manage other tasks. Well thought task is always well managed. Give more time to thinking about what and how to process with agile method to complete it.

First, prioritize your tasks and set boundaries to protect personal time. Delegate when possible, and communicate workload concerns with your manager. Consider negotiating flexible work arrangements or seeking support through counseling or coaching to manage stress effectively. Ensure you schedule regular breaks and prioritize self-care activities to maintain a healthy balance.

I have to admit that this is something that I continue to struggle with, but the key is to identify the areas causing imbalance. Then, set clear boundaries between work and personal life. Prioritise tasks effectively and delegate when possible. Lastly, don't hesitate to seek support from colleagues or management if needed. Work life balance takes personal commitment!