For entrepreneurs and small-business owners, balancing work and nonwork roles can be a heightened challenge. Starting up and running one’s own business can at times seem to be an all-consuming activity. Prioritizing and clarifying what’s important to you in both work and nonwork roles is critical for achieving balance.
Moreover, instead of getting mired in work/life conflict, using these conflicts to identify inefficiencies in the way work is done can be very important. Finally, achieving work/life balance isn’t only about avoiding conflict but also about recognizing opportunities for synergy between work and nonwork roles, such as identifying key knowledge, skills, and social connections that can be transferred from one role to the other.
Nancy Rothbard
Assistant Professor of Management
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
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