So as I mentioned before, I own a business.  My company, Kingston O'Neill Search (check us out at www.kingstononeill.com) is a search firm, which is a fancy way of say we are recruiters.  We work very specifically in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology space and companies hire us to help them identify talent.  I LOVE my job and feel so lucky to have found "my calling" so to speak.

Okay, so my point--I hear people ALL the time say, "I want better work/life balance" when I ask them why they are considering a new opportunity.  I think this has become a catch phrase that everyone is using.  Here is my personal opinion, and it may not be a popular one, but I think the concept of work/life balance is overrated.  I think it needs to be about work/life integration.  I can only speak for myself, but I am a lot happier when I feel like I can do it all, versus compartmentalizing my life.

So how exactly does one integrate???  Here are just a few ideas:

1. Get a good smart phone!  I swear by my iPhone and find that it gives me the freedom to feel comfortable walking away from the office at 5:00 pm.  
2. Meal plan, but only a few days in advance.  I can only speak for my family and the whole "plan the entire meals for the week" thing does not work for us.  Tastes change and we like to mix it up.  So, every Monday we decide what we are doing for that evening and Tuesday.  Every Wednesday we decide for that night and then Thursday and then every Friday is pizza usually (boring I know, but easy and fast!)  I find that knowing what I am cooking during the work week takes the stress out of that time of day.  The weekends I usually try new recipes.
3. Give yourself a break!  I recognize that as a business owner I may have a degree of flexibility that is not always there when you work for someone else, but twice a week I give myself what I call a "meeting time".  I step away from the office and do something with my daughter and I tell myself that if I was meeting with a client right now, I would not be plugged in.  It is my way of letting myself off the hook.
4. Get back on at night.  If you need to respond to emails in the evening once the kids have gone to bed and it enables you to leave the office at a reasonable time and spend time with your family in the evening, do it.  It is worth it!
5. Take long weekends.  I am personally not a fan of taking a week off at a time.  Owning a business that is client driven does not allow me to unplug for 5 days straight.  I end up working the whole time and then I am mad at myself.  I would much rather take a 3-4 day weekend once a month.