The Secret to “Finding” Balance

Posted by Jason Markow on Nov 23, 2009 in tips | 0 comments

The question I hear asked time and time again to seemingly “successful” entrepreneurs is, “How do you find balance?” or some variation thereof. The answers are often trivial, sometimes inspirational, but rarely applicable. They vary from “strike while the iron is hot,” or “I don’t” to the all famous (and often misinterpreted) “Always put family first”.

This question drives me crazy because when it is asked the variable people tend to imply/measure is the amount of time being spent on work/play, work/family, etc.  This is the single greatest mistake in defining balance.  Entrepreneurs should never measure personal balance with the “amount” of time they spend, but the “quality” of the time they spend.

“Quality” permeates entrepreneurs rhetoric, How many mission statements, product descriptions, and “elevator pitches” are peppered with notions of “quality”? Yet when the topic of personal balance comes into play, is seems as if common sense goes out the window.

In order to “find” balance, start by redefining what you mean by balance itself. For example, if you are worried that you are not spending enough time with family, stop counting hours and make sure that the time you do spend is (you guessed it) quality time.  Think about it, is that 2 hours of time spent in meetings really the same as even a 1/2 hour of time around the dinner table with the family?

A former instructor, mentor, and author of Unstoppable Attitude, Peter Miller of the University of Colorado offered the following brief example. While training for the Iron Man Peter would tell his coach “I rode XX miles today!” to which his coach would say “That’s great, but how many of those miles were quality miles?” So the next time you say to yourself “I only spent 2 hours with my family/friends today” ask yourself “How many of those hours were quality hours?”

What do you think?  How do you make sure the time you spend is quality time?  Share your story in the comments below and get in on the discussion.