b'A0 llalBUOillD Is ItPossible to Achieve Work-Life Balance? Liz Newman T thoseto be awhen people had two separate lives-one atand one atand here usedtimeworkhome. Butdays are long gone now. So many people these days blur the lines oflife work home life. This is especially true for people who own and run their own businesses. Their work and business is their livelihood, so who could blame them for wanting to be sure it\'s always running smoothly and successfully? Smartphones, wireless Internet, and rapidly-changing technology make it easier and more convenient to checkon thing; at the office-from home, the road, in and even while you\'re onItseems like the scaleisalways tipping more toward work, vacation. rather than life. Is itachieve any kind of even possible tobalance? Many roofing contractors run their own business business and the excitement ofa beingnewlywed withfamilytrusted es, eitheramember, with aas well," he says. "And with anything [like starting colleague, or by themselves. So it\'s no wonder thatathere was ainvolved." But business]lot of work they would bring work home with them. Accord to offset the work, he had arelationship to new ing to apoll conducted in March 2010,come home to each night. All was well: "There Gallup the number of people who classify themselves aswas abalance and life was good," Greg good million "suffering" increased by 3since 2009.explains. And among those are managers ofandBu~ he says, "TheIinto this [busibusinessesmoregot business owners, who reported the greatest loss ofness], it took aof time to make this thing lot well-being. More than 60% of business owners,go." And hethat, at the time, devoting so felt according to the poll, said they were "thriving"much time to the businesswhat he needed inwas the first quarter of 2008, butthe end ofofto do to provide forwife, and eventually, his,~~:J:~. by2008,his 4% But the number decreased to only 1 .it seemschildren. "Part of it had to do with who I\'d had like that has been an inevitable consequenceas aa child-myIthe role model asfather.saw the recessive economic state in the world.relationship that he had in his marriage to my~\' Bruce Weinstein, PhD, says inEthics ofmother, whichprettythe old traditional "Thewasmuch Work-Life Balance" (Bl,oomberg Businessweek,relationship where the man worked very hard March 2009), "Given the difficult economicand provided the income and the woman stayed climate and the number of jobs being lost daily,at home and tookof the children. To a carelarge emulatedI most of us are feeling the pressure to workextent, Ithat role model." harder than ever. But in spite of the increasingAsaman starting his business, Greg young intensity of ourcrisis, it is not onlyadopted his father\'s work ethic and didn\'t economicthink unfortunate to give into such pressure. It\'stwice about it. Beinghelped Greg and young unethical." Dr. Weinstein argues that in orderothers constantly push on, staying extra hours at to be ethical business owners, people need tothe office, being committed to getting everything "demonstrate fairness in everyday life by howdone,matter how late he had to stay. "When no we allocate scarce resources. The most preciousyou\'re young you have that kind of energy and commodity is time, both in your professionalyou\'re able to put in long days," Greg says. But, andur personal life."looking back on it now, he is remorseful. "In yoTime in his professional life was somethinghindsight IItime at home. wishhad spent more that MRCA Health and Safety Committee ChairIput too much emphasis on being the probably Greg Sprague had to compromise when starting\'bread-winner\' and being successful. Ito wanted his business,Roofing,Co.,in Lincoln,make my business grow and didn\'t take enough Sprague NE, in 1961. Greg graduated from college, gottime with my personal life at home with my wife married, and started his business-allaand children. At the time it seemed like I withinneeded few months. At first he was excited about his newto put an extraordinary amount of effort into my business venture and all of the possibilities. "Therebusiness. Iup gro\ing the business at the ended was the excitement of my new job and my newexpense of my personal life." 16'