Work-Life Balance Isn’t a Myth—Here’s How to Make It Work for You

In this heartfelt and practical solo episode, Jess and Claude get real about what work-life balance actually looks like. Hint: it’s not about doing everything perfectly.

They break down:

• Their personal challenges and wins around time management
• How to spot where your wellness is falling through the cracks
• Tips to reclaim your energy and set better boundaries
• The small shifts that can lead to big transformation

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed or just need a moment to regroup, this episode is your nudge to pause, reflect, and prioritize what really matters.

🎧 Tap play, then share with your work bestie. Because surviving the 9-to-5 is way easier when you’ve got someone in your corner.

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Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Work-Life Balance Reality
• 2:15 Balance as Rhythms, Not Rigid Routines
• 4:57 Practical Strategies for Time Management
• 9:33 Balance Killers to Avoid
• 10:58 Real Life Hacks for Prioritizing Wellness
• 14:19 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Transcript

Jess: 0:00

Are you a working parent or busy professional who feels like work-life balance is just another thing on your to-do list? I mean, come on, you're supposed to hydrate, meditate, meal prep, all while crushing deadlines and answering text messages to this one.

Claude: 0:18

It's way too much, especially my text. So today we are breaking it down. How do you actually make space for wellness without making your life even more stressful and more complicated? I don't know. I'll try.

Jess: 0:32

Yeah. Well, today we're going to dive into how to manage your time in a way that supports your mental health, your goals and, hopefully, your energy levels. And, if you're new here, full transparency. Claude and I are not perfect either, especially me, I think, both of us. Claude even said in a recent episode that she's a work in progress, and honestly, so am I. Yeah.

Claude: 0:56

I'm still trying to figure out, because I don't find a time to be able to do all that, to work out. I know I need it and then I feel guilty. Jess, on the contrary, she's always recalibrating, checking in on her balance, and you know what's working at home, at work, I'm still a work in progress.

Jess: 1:16

I mean I have to recalibrate, so I am too, but that's the point we share. We share back and forth and we try and figure out ways to better balance and help what we can do to keep moving that target forward. So we already chatted about how today is going to be about work-life balance and we just want to be fully transparent and admit balance doesn't mean equal time, right? I mean, from my perspective, there's absolutely no way we can do it all equally, and some weeks are going to have one balance a little bit more, say, towards work, some with your home life, maybe some with your podcasting, some with a combination.

Claude: 1:51

This one is always there. So think rhythms right, not rigid routines. You need to be really open. So what do you need more right now or at that moment? Is it rest? Is it movement? Is it connection? Is it movement? Is it connection? Is it? You have a deadline, you still have to do it. So that is the first thing you have to understand. What do you need at this moment?

Jess: 2:12

Totally so. In essence, what you're saying is start by tracking things right. What is it that you're trying to get done in a week and really kind of label out those categories. I think what we've just described is we're kind of labeling ours around work, family or podcasting, friendships. For you it could just be personal and total. Some of it's admin related, right Like you just have to get your finances order, pay your bills. Some of it's health related, because we can't forget to go to the doctor and then how do you then take all of that and really understand where is the right time and how do you efficiently get things done?

Claude: 2:48

So first, what we should be doing is really identify the wellness gap. So where are you skipping meals, pushing through or losing sleep? You know that's your body way of waving a red flag. Sure, right, I feel like you and all the and all above you called me out on that just earlier today.

Jess: 3:08

When I just doesn't sleep, recognize that I was sending emails too late at night or too early in the morning, depending on how you look at it. So ask what part of your wellness is non-negotiable sleep? I know it is, but for me it has for you, for your sleep, for me movement okay, all right, you know me, I tend to prioritize movement, movement over sleep.

Jess: 3:33

But for some people it may be alone time. Yeah, some people may be connecting with a long time too. Sometimes it's connections. So while we call it podcasting technically to your point, it's connections. So while we call it podcasting technically, to your point, it's friendship time. Yeah, but the ultimate goal would be at least pick one that you want to start At least, At least right.

Jess: 3:54

That was the key critical word in that conversation At least yeah, pick one to protect, but there could be multiple that you want to protect and keep those as the things that you really want to aspire to work on, yeah, so how are we going to do that, claude? Let's talk about some strategies that we've thought about again. These are just some ideas, some thought starters that we were thinking might help with it. Some of them are things that we do personally, and some of that are things that we've researched to figure out and we're going to try to do. And we're going to try to do Because, as we mentioned in the beginning, we're working in progress.

Claude: 4:30

We keep it real, people Keep it real.

Jess: 4:34

We're not going to lie to you. We still have to work on this a lot.

Claude: 4:37

I still prefer to sleep and wake up at 7 am, working out at 5 am and work out. I prefer to get stuff done. All is what is the thing saying to each?

Jess: 4:52

their own to each their own.

Claude: 4:53

To each their own all right.

Jess: 4:54

so back to the strategies. We're just going to give you a couple of them. The first one that I do a lot is time blocking and, as I mentioned, for me especially movement has been a been a bit of a gap in my calendar and so I've brought it back again, and I tend to create a forced approach to get that done. So I usually sign up for half marathons, and that's my way of doing it, so that I have to prep for it.

Claude: 5:19

It's not going from zero to 100.

Jess: 5:22

It wasn't a full marathon, it's a's a half marathon. Yeah, you do nothing, or you do a half marathon? Well, no, I was I just stopped running routinely, so I would get myself back into that. Um, and for those that do run half marathons or train for any type of event, you do know that usually there's like a ramp up schedule and that's what creating you're going, you, you record, you put yourself again on the yeah.

Claude: 5:46

For what? On the Brooklyn?

Jess: 5:47

no, staten Island, it's in October, that's why.

Claude: 5:50

So now I have, you're not going to because you're supposed to go to Staten Island. Nothing to do against Staten Island, it's far it's not that far.

Jess: 5:58

There's a ferry for free. They'll take you there, alright. Well, guys, let's vote and tell everybody if you think Claude should go and cheer me on. Who wants to see another picture of me sweating?

Claude: 6:11

and horrible.

Jess: 6:13

Anyway, going back to another strategy is putting time blocks right. So for me, as I mentioned, this is a ramp up. So I started this week with two, three, five miles, and so I block those out. Some people can do that from a more simplistic, shorter time period. Say, you're somebody who likes to walk or forgets to take their lunches, so block 15 minutes out for those things at least. Again, we're giving you bare minimum, but it's always good to aspire for more, so you could block 30 minutes out in your day. Another one that we had talked about, too, is if you feel really, really stressed throughout the day, block out that 15 minutes just for deep breathing or to go step outside.

Claude: 6:59

Or to just go and scream in a room that would work.

Jess: 7:01

Well, hopefully you've got a pillow handy. So ways to make sure you do that, in addition to setting those time blocks on your calendar, set alerts, yeah, and if anyone has been around my phone after my daughter has played around with it, I have the most obnoxious alert noise. So it definitely gets me up in the morning to do those runs or to do whatever I need to do, and then I do. I treat it like it's a meeting, like as if I'm going to a work meeting and I have to do it.

Claude: 7:33

Okay. Well then there's the three S's Short, simple and scheduled. Again, go back to what Jess was saying. Schedule is important. Think five minutes of stretching, right, five minutes of something it can be stretching. It can be drinking water before coffee. We learned from Kate in a previous episode even having a little routine for the bedtime. So this is something that is good and it's going to trigger a habit. Again, work in progress. I'm trying to do it every week. It happens that usually it's on the weekend, but at least it's in my mind and hopefully by scheduling I'm going to do it sure simple schedule.

Jess: 8:20

I love it yeah 3s rule sweaty, that's only five minutes, you can handle it all right. So the third one that we wanted to share with you is the boundaryoundary Buddies. We have had a lot of episodes around boundaries, setting them the importance. We most certainly will have even more episodes just focused on boundaries, because it is something that to me is mission critical that everybody figures out the best approach to really set them for yourself. So there's ways you can leverage your work bestie, or even your partner or another best friend or any other friend I mean, some people do this with gym friends as well Right, so you want to have that one person that you can check in with, that they're there to help you remember to do the activity that you're trying to do or to remind you to block the time. Have that person be kind of your accountability have that person be kind of your accountability.

Claude: 9:14

Remember at one point when I had started again. The peloton which face it right now is a hang clothes on I was sending you pictures when I was done, so it was.

Jess: 9:20

You were sending them while you were actually walking on the treadmill. You were doing amazing. Let's go back people. All right, we'll go back to that. So, speaking of remember when I did this, but now I don't, let's talk about what can get in the way.

Claude: 9:33

I can give you a whole list of that one. The first one guilt. You know you're, I don't know. You have a deadline, you have to do something. You're feeling guilty that you're taking care of yourself or you have your kids right, that they want to play, they want to go and see so and so or whatever, and you want to be there. So you feel guilty for taking some time alone which is not good.

Claude: 10:01

Another one also that is a big trigger of me people pleasing, which goes back again, taking care of the kids, blah, blah, blah, and then being perfect.

Jess: 10:10

So that are balance killers, for sure, but keep in mind and we've had other individuals say this you're allowed to put on your oxygen mask first. So protect your peace and don't feel like you have to sit there and explain. Don't feel like you have to overcompensate for why you're the one that's trying to choose to better yourself, because, at the end of the day, when you better yourself, you get better representation for everybody else too right.

Jess: 10:38

You come in more prepared. You come in. I even notice it too with me. And again, it's only been a week. I'm back to my routine of running. I have a little more patience with my own daughter when I'm back to the consistency of running. So, real life hacks, what are some things or could recommend?

Claude: 10:58

so for me is should, because I'm not there. So, but I'm going to start this week maybe doing a recurring clued hour on my calendar, even though the only calendar I have is work calendar. So I'll have to figure out somewhere which calendar to use. No clothes, still use your work, yeah yeah, but not taking any calls, not not staying lazing out on the couch just doing like. For me would be to be wellness, would be doing a bit more sport, because I'm already on month six, almost seven, of cigarette free, nicotine free, so I still have that, but with that I need to exercise. So it's really, just think about putting some personal time on your calendar.

Jess: 11:43

Right. And for you it doesn't necessarily have to be like high intensity exercise. You could just go for a walk.

Claude: 11:49

I've been doing walk on the treadmill.

Jess: 11:51

Or go during lunch, or whatever you could. Okay boundary, All right, boundary. She refuses guys Look at that. She said no.

Claude: 12:01

Yes, no, my boundary is keep working during lunchtime. I don't work, I will not walk during lunch.

Jess: 12:10

We know where the boundaries are, Okay, so my hack that I came up with is I do things a little backwards. I know most people set their plan for the week and it's around what they have from a work schedule.

Claude: 12:22

Yeah.

Jess: 12:22

Maybe even what they have for their kids schedule. I didn't do mine a little backwards, I do when can, where am I planning to do my self-care blocks, which for me right now is the running? So I block those first and then I work around. Usually child care, oh, what you have to do. Yeah, child care. Usually child care, oh, what you have to do?

Claude: 12:42

Yeah, child care and then the rest of my work activities. That's not bad. So you put your oxygen mask first.

Jess: 12:47

I do put my oxygen mask first. Thank you, heather. Call back to another episode. So, yes, not really anything radical, nothing like groundbreaking, but I will say it is effective and it's helped me. And you probably see, from time to time I move work meetings around too, because I do feel like my self-care to me is mission critical. So, guys, this was a nice, short, sweet episode, just like work-life balance, yeah. So I think what we would love to say to all of you is share with us what you guys are doing. We love hearing from you all. Inspire us. We can share with the WorkBestie community and for those that are in need of trying to figure out a better work-life balance, there is no perfect time, so do it now. The whole point of our season two is around wellness and, honestly, there is nothing more important than to prioritize your well-being and, honestly, there is nothing more important than to prioritize your well-being. It is something that you need to do to maintain yourself and have a happier, healthier life.

Claude: 13:46

And come on the journey with us. Right, yeah, but again, small moments add up. You know, it doesn't have to be a half marathon. It can be 20 minutes on the treadmill, whatever, to each their own Right. So one walk, one pause. Some boundary time Can be 20 minutes on the treadmill, whatever, to each their own right. So one walk, one pause, some boundary time. Again, it's not all about exercise, it's also making sure that I have my eight hours of sleep. Everybody has their own limit and what they need, and the first thing is really identifying that first For sure.

Jess: 14:19

So we believe in a version of work-life balance that actually includes you, you are the important one and nothing can celebrate the birthday of the United States in our 4th of July year more so than celebrating you.

Claude: 14:34

So tag your work, bestie, and tell us you know what's one small change you're making this week to put wellness on the schedule we did it.

Jess: 14:45

Remember we used to try and say our clip at the end All right, everyone. And if this has helped you, please, please, share it with your friends. It really means the world to us when you do that and leave us a review. We love hearing from you all. That isn't a joke. The more we learn from you all that isn't a joke We've really like the more we learn from you, the better we are and the more we help you as well, so don't forget to like and subscribe, and especially over in our YouTube channel.

Jess: 15:10

We've been doing some kind of unique things over there and we'd love for you guys to see and share, and see even more behind the scenes and more individual clips that we don't always include in the master and it's also on TikTok, right? We have some unique things on TikTok and some on YouTube. There's a little bit different on each, but both have things that you will not see on our main channel and or on Instagram.

Claude: 15:33

So definitely go there. Instagram is still good, so go now and subscribe your future balance F will thank you.

Jess: 15:41

Remember whether you're swapping snacks in the break room, rescuing each other from endless meetings or just sending that perfectly timed meme. Having a work bestie is like having your own personal hype squad.

Claude: 15:54

So keep lifting each other, laughing through the chaos and, of course, thriving. Until next time time, stay positive, stay productive and don't forget to keep supporting each other. Work besties.