Whether you are the CEO of a reputable organization or a normal employee, maintaining a good work-life balance is essential. This means you need to separate your personal and professional lives in such a way that they do not encroach upon each other. Both of them are equally important and should not be neglected under any circumstance. Unfortunately, many people are unable to do this, and this takes a toll on their mental health.
In this article, Myles Broom has shared his take on maintaining a good work-life balance, and what it means to him to live well, whilst having large goals. For those who don’t know, Myles is a 25-year old entrepreneur. From London, he is the co-founder of The Normal Company, an agency that specializes in scaling global e-commerce brands to epic heights in ROI, and revenues. The Normal Company clientele spans large celebrity fashion brands, right through to niche problem-solving products that hit virality in a few short months via Broom and his business partner, Cameron Farthing’s ‘Normal Formula’ for hitting vast reach and sales.
Myles’ nature of work is quite different from other typical jobs. Being an entrepreneur and that too in the marketing field, Myles has to work round-the-clock to cater to his clients’ requirements, and the lofty vision he has for each brand that joins them. This makes it quite difficult to maintain a balance between work and leisure, so how does he do it?
For starters, Myles takes on only a limited amount of work. “When my partner and I had just started out, we used to work long hours – sometimes even 20 hours a day – to prove to our clients that we’re the right people for the job. We had to be tenacious with setting the foundations for these brands and we felt we had something to prove, and to move quickly to establish ourselves. But over time, I have become very selective about who we take on as a client, because the relationship with them is of huge importance to us, and seeing eye to eye on expectations, and where the brand can truly go. This creates a partnership, which sets a tone. This gives me enough spare time to relax, learn each day via reading or mentors, work out and spend time with my friends and family as well, which is a crucial part of the process in order to keep performance optimal” he says.
“Since working less, and setting clear times of day for certain tasks, productivity actually rises because you manage the day, rather than letting the day manage you, and you running about like a madman – it’s not good for anyone, you just kill yourself off”
Aside from this, another tip that helps Myles immensely is planning things in advance. Being a travel lover, he takes at least one trip every three months to a new destination. According to Myles, it helps him relax and he uses the time to get creative, due to the environment change. “When I’m in a different place, it’s effortless to get creative, I feel it’s just inspiring to have a pause, and reflect. I often come back from a trip with a ton of new notes on my phone, often highly innovative stuff which drives the company forward” Myles said.
He adds that time off is as important as time in.
Most importantly, Myles is a staunch believer of ‘you only get one life’. He believes in being committed to his work and the stretch targets he sets for his company, but also enjoying life to its fullest. For him, it was never about earning money; it was more about learning something new in everything that he does, and having something that can allow him to explore the world around us. He says, “Luckily with the power of the internet today, there’s no reason to be tied to the office, if you have to be there then you don’t work on the business, you work in it, which is self sabotaging and limiting you and it. The business should be able to manage without you for a period of time, but equally when I am abroad I always have my laptop – my business is effectively my hobby & baby, but it doesn’t run me!”
Myles’ approach towards work and life, in general, is what enabled him to become successful at the age of 25 only. The young entrepreneur’s life is actually a lesson for individuals who want to enjoy their lives, but equally have high ambitions to balance.
