[Ask TBM] Can Entrepreneurs Achieve a Reasonable Work-Life Balance?

TALA by Kyla owner Kyla Cañete shares her insights on how to maintain a reasonable work-life balance.

Balancing the demands of work and a personal life is a challenge that many people often struggle with. Many find it difficult to find the boundaries of where work ends, while others may find it difficult to manage their time when they have to juggle their workload, responsibilities to family and friends, and even self-care. 

But is it really even possible to keep work and personal life separate, especially for busy entrepreneurs? How can this be achieved and what factors should be considered?

The Business Manual spoke to TALA by Kyla owner Kyla Cañete to get her insights on what work-life balance means, if it’s indeed possible, and what benefits can one get from it.  

What, for you, does it mean to have work-life balance?

For me, having work-life balance means getting work done and still having time to go to the gym, spending time with my friends and family, taking care of my dogs, and relaxing after a big campaign.

Is it really possible to keep work and personal life separate? Why or why not?

Personally, I’m only experiencing work-life balance now. When I just started my business, I used to have a hard time keeping them separate because I had to do everything by myself. Like other business owners, it was really inevitable because when you’re starting your own thing, you want to be hands-on all the time. 

Eventually, you learn how to delegate tasks to your team and accept all the help you can get. It’s important you get your own time for personal life because at the end of the day, you are your own person. You’re not your business. You’re just you. 

How do you personally maintain a reasonable work-life balance? What practical steps do you take in order to achieve this?

It all comes down to discipline. It might sound cliche, but I wake up early everyday, show up to work, and make sure I’m focused when I’m at the office. When I get home, as much as possible, I stay away from work. 

If I need to set my phone to Do Not Disturb, that’s what I do. I also leave my laptop where I can’t reach it so I can avoid working when it’s actually time to sleep. 

What are the benefits of maintaining a work-life balance?

It’s the best way to make sure that our mental health is intact. It helps my team because at least they know that we won’t talk about work outside work hours. Sometimes you work extra during campaign days, but you should also take the time to make it up to your loved ones with quality time.  

When setting boundaries between work and personal life, what should be kept in mind? What factors affect the kind of boundaries that are set? Should these boundaries be flexible or not?

You definitely need to understand that the world doesn’t revolve around you. People have their own schedules, their own boundaries, and it’s important to know where the line is. 

You can’t help but adjust especially on big campaigns, you just need to coordinate in advance so everyone’s ready. Make people understand, especially when you’re the one running the business and everyone’s relying on your decisions. 

What concrete tips and advice can you give fellow entrepreneurs about maintaining a healthy and reasonable work-life balance? How can this help a business grow?

It’s different for every person. The most important thing is to maintain your focus while working, understand that you’ve given it your best, so by the end of the day you’ll have no regrets. That way, you won’t be thinking, “I should’ve done more. I should’ve tried this.” 

Just show up, do your best, and learn how to let go.

Kyla Cañete is the owner own accessory brand TALA by Kyla