If you have achieved perfect harmony in your balance between your advisor role and your personal life, bravo! No need to read this.

But if – as I suspect – you’re struggling and juggling, here are a few thoughts.

First, why is a poor work/life balance bad for you? If your professional life is intruding into your ʻother’ life (family, leisure, sports, hobbies, health) the results can be so negative. They include fatigue, burnout, stress, anxiety, dissatisfaction and even a poorer quality of work. It’s a vicious cycle.

And in our line of work, it’s even harder to strike the right balance. Not only are we self-employed but we are hugely impacted by world events over which we have no control.

To rein in some of that imbalance, here are some ideas …

1. Take time to reflect on your goals and priorities and what makes you happy. Many find it helpful to write these down.

2. Incorporate time management strategies into your workday. Try to keep the Internet research rabbit holes to a minimum. Be firm with the tire-kickers who are wasting your time when all they want is your knowledge.

3. Decide what your non-negotiables are. If it’s taking your kid to soccer practice or your weekly yoga class, think of them as etched in stone. Chances are the world won’t miss you for a couple of hours.

4. Don’t be available 24/7. Be upfront about your working hours on your website, email signature, voicemail message and socials. Maybe a split shift – mornings and evenings, leaving you free in the afternoon for family or other obligations – might work for you. (Of course there will be times when you won’t be able to stick to this, but it’s good to set expectations.)

5. Think about how you can better use the resources of your host agency and colleagues.

6. I’ve said this before, but specialize. You’ll become way more time-efficient when you are not selling everything everywhere to everyone.

Try some of these tips for a month and review those goals and priorities you wrote down. If you’ve made progress, don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back: that’s an important activity in the work/life balance battle.