I’ve had a lot of requests for an update on how we’re doing with the elusive work/life balance we publicly promised to improve this year. We never intended to work nights, weekends, and even on vacation, and we’ve realized only we are responsible for changing that.
We figured this was a good topic to discuss while working on the front porch (more on that project tomorrow). The scallops are coming down and the porch columns are being boxed in.
Back to work/life balance. The first step for us was admitting there was a problem. It’s much harder to switch off when both our jobs revolve around a 24/7 internet and our laptops are only a room or two away. Making a public commitment helped us take it seriously. We wrote about our goal in a few places and even mentioned it in a BBC segment.
After working on this for the past several months, we’ve made noticeable progress. We still have room to improve — we often work three weekends out of four — but here are several practical strategies that have helped us get more done in less time.
- Write a specific to-do list and circle the top five priorities. Focusing on the five most important tasks prevents us from getting distracted by small, easy wins that don’t move the needle. Prioritizing helps avoid wasting time on low-impact work while bigger, time-sensitive projects wait.
- Be satisfied after completing the five priority items each day. Between switching off to care for Clara and interruptions, it often takes the whole day to reach that point. Once we’ve finished those items, we resist the urge to add more and keep working late. Allowing ourselves to step away from the laptop in the evening has been important for recharging.
- Reduce inbox clutter. Together we receive roughly 200 emails a day. About 30% were junk, so I spent ten minutes unsubscribing from the worst offenders. Waking up to double-digit emails instead of triple digits is a relief. We also use canned responses in Gmail to handle common inquiries more efficiently.
- Cut back to seven posts a week instead of eight. It sounds small, but one fewer post per week adds up to 52 fewer posts a year. That change alone has freed up weeknights and sometimes entire Saturdays for family time instead of keeping us on a relentless posting schedule.
- Be realistic about capacity. We’re two people who love what we do, but we can’t do the work of ten. We aim to do our best, finish projects to a reasonable standard, and press publish rather than endlessly perfecting everything. Producing around 30 posts a month means over-noddling one project can steal time from others.
We’re still a work in progress, and many of our friends and family—who work regular hours and disconnect evenings and weekends—offer great perspective. I asked several of them one question: “How do you work smarter, not harder?” Here are the practical tips they shared.
Emily, senior booking agent and mother of three: She relies on a support network and carpool system. Asking for help is essential. She gets older kids involved in chores like laundry and lunch prep so the household runs more smoothly.
Cat, mother of two: Put things away as you find them and give everything a designated spot. She designates a daily short interval to carry laundry or tidy, and pays bills as soon as they arrive so she can catch any mistakes.
Roo, mother of three: Uses Gmail canned responses and useful Gmail labs, plus the send-and-archive feature to streamline email handling.
Noah, artist and new father: Maintains inbox zero so email doesn’t become a to-do list. He responds to short emails quickly, mutes notifications when focusing, unsubscribes from lists, and separates personal and work email to avoid distraction.
Katie, blogger and mother of two: Batches similar tasks—batch editing, grouping projects, uploading photos for multiple posts in one session—and writes narration on a schedule. She plans kids’ activities the night before and keeps quick meal ingredients like shredded chicken ready.
Kristin, freelance copywriter: Treats her calendar as her boss, scheduling work, workouts, lunches, and deadlines. She protects Saturday as a no-work day and prioritizes blocking time to maintain balance.
Megan, senior marketing director: Builds strategic systems the first time tasks are done so the next time the path is clear. She evaluates and refines processes regularly and automates where appropriate.
Dan, chemist: Multitasks in small ways so time isn’t wasted—simple examples like combining workouts with TV commercial breaks or brushing teeth while showering.
Dusty, quality improvement manager and mother: If you love what you do, the effort feels worthwhile. For tasks you dislike, it’s smart to outsource them to reclaim time for higher-value activities.
Heather, advertising art supervisor: Preparation, the right hires, planning, and thinking ahead eliminate inefficiencies. Ask questions and prepare for setbacks to keep momentum.
Nicole, blogger and mother of two: Became more efficient after having kids. She uses canned email responses, does extra work at night when needed to take a mid-week day off, saves post ideas as drafts, and keeps a private Pinterest board for future topics.
Lisa, operations director: Relies on technology—calendars, reminders, and to-do lists on her phone—and menu planning to save time and keep the family organized.
Diana, trial attorney: Identifies goals, maps out specific, realistic tasks, and completes them without distraction. She finds focusing on one task at a time more effective than multitasking.
It’s interesting how different strategies work for different people—my brother prefers multitasking while my mother focuses on one task at a time. I tend to follow her approach. Now I’d love to hear from you: how do you work smarter, not harder? Share any tips or tricks that help you maintain balance.
Update – We often get questions about blogging—how we started, grew our audience, and turned it into a full-time job—so we’ve shared details about how we began, grew traffic, and monetized the blog.