6 Practical Ways to Reset Your Work-Life Balance Having trouble balancing your personal and professional lives? Here are some simple tips to help you regain equilibrium.

By Dan Scalco Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Westend61 | Getty Images

We've all heard about the importance of a healthy work-life balance. But all too often, the advice stops there. This can be frustrating. How are entrepreneurs supposed to achieve this mythical balance? It's not enough just to toss these tired maxims at us, like an old bone to a dog. What we need are practical ideas, new tools in our toolbox to help us improve our businesses and, ultimately, ourselves.

In any event, reaching this balance is surprisingly simple (in word, at least!). It mostly means reconnecting with ideas and habits that we intuitively know are important. But I don't want to just list these things, I want to equip you with them: Think of the following as six practical tools to help you chisel away at a more elegant work-life balance. If I've missed something, great; you just found yourself a seventh.

1. Connect with your loved ones.

A recent study showed that among the biggest regrets of the dying were they had missed "their children's youth" and "their partner's companionship," and they had not given "friendships the time and effort that they deserved." If this sounds heavy, that's because it is. Fulfilling relationships are the stuff of life, not late nights every night at the office. Even during busy times, it's a good idea to schedule commitments with family and friends that you treat as unbreakable, whether family dinners at home every night or a night out with friends once a week.

Related: 4 Tips for Balancing Friendship and Business

It seems nuts that I have to say this, but those closest to you deserve at least the same level of commitment as your clients and workplace. And these relationships will be what sustain you when things aren't great at work.

2. Learn an instrument.

Learning and playing an instrument can make work stress disappear, if only for a little while. Studies also show that it can enhance your executive function skills (i.e., your ability to problem solve, think flexibly, and set goals). Many people feel you are either born with creativity or doomed to live without it, but this just isn't true. If this seems like a stretch for you, start with a simple instrument like a ukulele and take just 20 minutes every day to practice and play. Again, not only can it take you out of a stressful mindset, it can boost the skills you need to deliver at your job.

3. Take back your sleep cycles.

If you're an entrepreneur or just a hard worker generally, there are going to be periods where you don't sleep as much. It's not ideal, but it's often a reality. It becomes even more important then that the sleep you do get is high quality. Make sure your mattress is good, upgrade your sheets—do whatever you can to optimize your sleep time.

Related: This Is Your Brain on Not Enough Sleep

It might sound fussy, but a good night's sleep will give you energy to perform at work and enjoy your time off.

4. Spend time in nature.

The benefits of spending time in nature are well documented, and they include stress relief, sharper thinking, and improved creativity. Making time for nature can be tricky, particularly if you live in a city. But you still have options. For example, plan your vacations in nature, even a simple camping trip can help refresh your spirits. Alternatively, you can take your lunches in a nearby park.

5. Serve your community.

This one may be a curve ball for some of you: sometimes all you feel like doing when you get from work is relaxing and charging your batteries. And that's fine, but don't forget to make time for service. It can give your personal time a renewed sense of purpose that will energize all aspects of your life.

Investigate the volunteering needs of your community and see whether some of your work skills are needed for an organization or a project. You can further refine them in a context that contributes positively to the lives of others. Bottom line, your community contributes to your personal well-being, so why not try to make it better?

Related: 5 Ways Volunteering Helps You Do Well While Doing Good

6. Stay active.

If your work involves sitting all day long, you may want to think seriously about adding some exercise to your daily routine: The health outcomes for sitters are no joke. Maybe you don't have time for the gym every night, but you have other options. Lunch walks, a standing desk, even just getting up for a few minutes every hour can help get that blood flow going and even help increase your focus at work.

Dan Scalco

Founder and director of growth at Digitalux

Dan Scalco is the founder and marketing director at Digitalux, a digital-marketing agency located in Hoboken, N.J. In his free time he blogs about focus, productivity, and nootropics at BrainWiz.org.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Buying / Investing in Business

Former Zillow Execs Target $1.3T Market

Co-ownership is creating big opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Business News

Walmart Is Laying Off 1,500 Corporate Employees: 'Reshaping Our Structure'

The layoffs affect Walmart's global technology, advertising, and e-commerce teams.

Marketing

How to Get Your First 1,000 Email Subscribers (The Smart Way)

Here's a step-by-step system for startup founders to build their first 1,000 engaged email subscribers — without guesswork or gimmicks.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Side Hustle

She Started a Creative Side Hustle While Working 'Dead-End' Jobs — Then Grew It From $10,000 to Over $50,000 a Month: '[It] Became Magnetic'

Alyssa O'Toole, 35, juggled "mismatched uniforms and odd hours" to turn her passion into a business.

Starting a Business

How Confirmation Bias Is Destroying Your Product — and How to Stop It

It's time to unlearn what you "know" about your users.