What do you do if your workload is overwhelming and your personal life is suffering?

When faced with overwhelming workload and a suffering personal life, it's crucial to prioritize self-care. Delegate tasks, communicate with your team for support, set boundaries, and learn to say no. Schedule time for activities that rejuvenate you and seek help from loved ones or professionals if needed. Balance is key for long-term well-being.

At the end of the day, your tombstone won’t include your number of transactions or closed volume so if you are to the point your outside life is crumbling because of work overload, outsource it! Make a list of all of the things you do on a daily/ weekly/ monthly basis. Next, sort them and be honest with yourself - what are the things that only you can do? What are the things you don’t like to do? What tasks can someone else do 75-80% as well as you can? Identify where is the overlap between what you don’t like to do and someone else can - outsource it. Secondly, find what brings you joy and make it a non-negotiable on your calendar. This is the reason you are working so hard, go out and enjoy it!

It's very common in Real Estate, site visit happens on Sunday. A buyer looking for a new flat will visit on a Sunday with his whole family. Under such circumstances, a Realtor can plan his own family commitments on a weekday by taking a weekly off on a Tuesday, since Monday can be used for a follow-up call post site visit. Such Time management will help in work - life balance.

It’s a moral dilemma and a fine line to tread, particularly if you are a business owner with a young family. I find quality over quantity can be a fantastic solution. If family time is lacking as business is consuming you, then make sure when you have that time, however irregular and brief it may be, you make it count. Put phones/ computers away and focus fully on your nearest and dearest. With children, make sure you get properly onto their level. 20-30 minutes of focussed one on one time, playing and laughing can be more impactful and supportive than a full day of being with them, but not being ‘present’ as you are answering calls and emails every few minutes. Protect that precious time and make sure you’re free from all distractions.

I would suggest to take regular, short breaks throughout the day to recharge and prevent burnout, enhancing both work efficiency and personal well-being.

I am currently reading “The ONE Thing” by Gary Keller which addresses work/life balance. In the book, he discusses the need for a work/life BALANCING highlighting the fact that at different seasons of life one must spend time / energy on some tasks more than others. While it will never be a constant perfect equilibrium of time between work, family and fun it is important to prioritize the over arching needs of what your season requires - young kids at home? Family will take the priority. Ramping up a new project? Work may require a little more. The act of BALANCING allows small adjustments where needed to be able to move to the next season.