It's a phrase that gets thrown about a lot in the tech industry, you're probably trying to do it, and I’m definitely trying to do it, but the question is how does one achieve it consistently?

I took on the challenge and sought out some of the Yellow Panther PMs to see their tips and tricks to retain a good work-life balance. 

This is what I found;

The first person I spoke to was our head of projects Jodi. She has worked all over the world both remotely and in office so I knew her insight would be a great start. Jodi’s initial response was ‘to buy a lottery ticket’ not very helpful. But her following tips are quite interesting; Set boundaries, it's key to know where work ends and your personal life starts, a lot of people will let the 2 bleed together and end up burned out and overworked. 

I'm sure a lot of us can relate to this especially if you work overtime a lot or if you work from home. Set a boundary and know when it's time to shut your laptop and switch off work mode. 

I then asked Sarfraz, one of our PMs and strategy lead. He came back with this; block out at least 1-2 hours in the day to do things that bring you happiness - reading, gaming, working out etc. Don't forget about the things you enjoy and let work take up 100% of your mind.

This is a great tip, especially for those who may get home and continue to think about work until they go to sleep. Start spending time with yourself more and have some relief from work-centred thoughts.

The newest member of the YP PM team, Karan, also had some tricks to share; Make sure to prioritize your tasks. You want to figure out what's most important each day and tackle those tasks first. This way, you keep work from creeping into your time and ensure you're getting the important stuff done.

Overall, it differs from person to person how you balance work and life but I hope these tips give you some inspiration to start or carry on!