Recently an entrepreneur asked me for ideas and tips about work/life balance. I replied that balance implies that they’re constantly aligned, which I don’t think is the case. Things regularly ebb and flow, requiring a work/life blend with some guidelines around them.
Here are a few strategies I use for work/life blend:
- Written plan and expectations with spouse (alignment is key)
- Limit morning and evenings events to one per week average over the course of the month (e.g. if I have two evening events one week, I’ll work to have none the next week)
- Limit work travel to 5-10 nights per quarter (often for tradeshows or visiting a customer/partner)
- Weekly date night (key is to get out of the house without the kids)
- Quarterly family vacation (go out of town for a long weekend or on a week long trip)
- Continually ask the start, stop, and continue questions
A work/life blend is personal to everyone’s unique situations. After years of refinement, this approach has worked for me.
What else? What are some more thoughts on finding work/life blend?
David Cummings on Startups 
What do you use to draw out your: Written plan and expectations with spouse (alignment is key)?
I’d recommend a simple Google Doc with bullet points.