The Truth About Work-Life Balance Defining and understanding the kind of life you want to lead is the first step to making it happen.

Over the years, I've asked everyone from solo freelancers to big-time CEOs how they balance work and the rest of their lives. The conclusion I've drawn from the collective answers is this: The very concept of work-life balance is misleading. Not only that, but there's a fundamental problem with the way the antidotes to overworking and burnout are presented in tidy, bullet-point form.

• Delegate.
• Set boundaries.
• Follow a schedule.
• Be present.

Nothing wrong with practical advice, but productivity hacks overlook the heart of the problem, which is that for too many ambitious people, success is inversely related to failure in other, "personal" aspects of life.