My Top Tips for Balancing Business, Family, and Health

When I first started managing people at ATI, I was terrible to work for. 

I never delegated because I didn’t trust people. I worked constantly on weekends and up until midnight every day. I wasn’t present with my family and didn’t take care of my health. 

My wife still likes to remind me of the peak of my romanticism back when we were dating on New Year’s Eve in 2003. Instead of celebrating, I had her in the office with me working at midnight and submitting invoices to ensure I closed the year out correctly. While we laugh about it now, I definitely don’t recommend this to anyone at any company!

As a business owner, this lifestyle probably sounds familiar to you. The start-up years require a level of commitment and devotion that can temporarily force other priorities to the side. However, I’ve found that this can easily become a never-ending pattern if you’re not careful, and eventually, something has to give–whether that’s your family, your health, or your work. 

Over the years, I have grown to achieve a much more balanced approach to life that allows me to have a much more well-rounded and fulfilling career, relationships, and health. Here is some advice I have for other leaders facing similar demands on their time and resources.

If You Run Your Company, You’ll Never Grow 

As I mentioned previously, if you met the Jeff I was 10 years ago, you would not have wanted to work for me. I was trying to stay involved in all of the operations of the company and didn’t properly delegate. As a business owner, this will keep you stuck in the minutiae without the ability to come up for air and view your business from a higher level to accurately see what it needs to grow and thrive. You have to step back and ask, “If I had to replace myself, who would I need and what skillsets would be required?” and “What can be done by the existing staff?” For example, if I wanted a GM to handle day-to-day responsibilities, what would I do strategically differently?

I’m still challenging to work for, but now I expect everyone to do their job without a ton of direction because I have incredible people working for me who are qualified to make decisions. This confidence in their abilities is exactly why they are in their position.

A Happy Wife is a Happy Life

I think one of the most overlooked items in life, especially as it relates to work, is your mental health. Your home life is so important, and you often don’t realize it. When my kids are kicking ass, doing well in their sports, school, and with friends, and my wife is happy (when I’m not messing with or annoying her), it’s so much easier to be confident and happy. This directly relates to my productivity at work. I’ve always used the motto, “A happy wife is a happy life.”

How Your Mental Health Impacts Your ROI 

Once my home life is in check and I’ve delegated enough at work to free up some time and mental space, my health and helping others are two big parts of my life that also have a big impact on my ROI by bringing me joy, energy, a sense of purpose, and making me a better leader. 

Prioritizing My Health 

Yes, this has been a big (sorry for the pun) change for me over the past few years. The old Jeff was a big guy, consumed with everything, drinking caffeine (12+ cups per day), and not prioritizing myself, my diet, or my exercise routine. These days, I prioritize in order:

1. Sleep above all.
2. Diet (healthy meals, always eating, and no carbs for 90% of my meals. I save my carbs and sugars for cheating, snacks, and dessert. No soda at all except for Sprite when my stomach hurts. I do protein shakes for breakfast and sometimes as a snack between meals.)
3. Exercise. My goal is nothing like it used to be; it’s simply to get 10,000 steps per day, whether at the gym, walking at the house, or walking the dogs. I prefer to lift weights at least 1-3 times per week but am still more focused on steps.

Helping Others

Helping people also makes me a happier and better leader. I spend a lot of time writing and documenting my learnings to help other restorers. I enjoy randomly taking calls to help others, whether that’s in restoration or coaching people on their health journey. I get a ton of ROI from that; it fills my bucket. 

Conclusion

Admittedly, I still trend towards working too much. However, if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that growth–whether relationally, in business, health, or otherwise, is not always linear. As the needs of my family, business, and health continue to change, I strive to meet the new demands by setting my priorities for the day and instilling daily habits that keep me on track, including silencing my phone between 8 pm-8 am, setting up reminders on my phone, and checking in regularly with my wife on upcoming plans. 

If you’re navigating similar challenges as a business owner or have tips for staying on track, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s connect.