How to Balance Work, Training, Family, Friends... & Life in General

Even though the average adult has around 16 waking hours in their day, finding time to balance competing priorities like work, family, friends, and training can be a challenge. Run coach Nick Bester shares his tips to help everyday athletes achieve a sense of balance.

It’s the million-dollar question: How do you balance work, training, friends, and family, day in and day out? To be honest, there is no easy answer to it, and it’s something I struggle with all the time. When it comes to balancing all these variables, you need to prioritize. You also need to make time for certain things, otherwise they will simply get neglected. I have a growing business, I’m a full-time coach and content creator, I'm trying to break 2:20 in the marathon distance, and I have two little kids. I often get asked the question: “How do you balance at all?” Let me try and explain...

Ultimately, we’re not professional athletes and family will always come first.

Before I go into detail, I think it’s important to note that family has - and always will - come first. Yes, work pays the bills and training is extremely important for both its mental and physical benefits. But, above all, family should always come first.

Balance is not easy. It’s something I’m always working on.

I’ve noticed that different variables require different amounts of attention at different times. Sometimes in a big marathon build, training requires more time and attention. Then I find that after a marathon build you can focus on ‘filling your cup’ with other aspects of your life like time with friends - areas that may have taken a slight back seat during that training period.

You need to look after yourself if you want to look after those around you.

It’s almost impossible to keep everyone happy all the time. I’ve tried that before and fallen short. So you need to prioritize the relationships that mean the most to you and focus on keeping your immediate circle close and happy. Trying to impress everyone all of the time will result in failure. With only so many hours in a day you need to budget a bit of time to look after yourself because when you’re on top of your game and at your happiest, that’s when you can support those around you as best as possible.

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Running doesn’t pay the bills BUT it has huge physical and mental benefits that contribute towards them.

Yes, at the end of the day, our jobs pay the bills and put a roof over our heads. But let’s not underestimate just how important the exercise factor is. By remaining active, you’re soaking up mental and physical benefits, allowing you to be more productive with your day and most likely with your job too. If you completely neglect exercise to focus solely on work, it’s not sustainable. Try and get that balance right and trust me: you’re much more likely to get a promotion sooner rather than later.

If you don’t make the time, it will never be there. Find 10 – 15 minutes of YOU time every day.

There are 24 hours in a day, and let’s say for argument’s sake we sleep for eight of them. That leaves 16 hours, which seems like a lot. But, as we know, 16 hours can fly by, and finding just 10-15 minutes within that time can be a struggle. You need to set aside a portion of your day for YOU-time. If you don’t do that, it will never happen. I found doing a daily routine goes a very long way in helping me improve. Here is the one I do if you want to follow along.

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Recently, when I know I have a lot of work to get through and it’s late afternoon, I tend to step away from my desk for 10-15 minutes, do this routine and come back after dinner to get through that last bit of work. It’s much better this way as there’s almost zero chance I’ll do this routine after dinner. Work will always be there, but it’s important to find time for this kind of routine. You don’t have to do it every day, but aim for at least twice a week.

I find that when I run well, my business goes well and I’m able to spend time with my family and friends.

I found that there is quite a close link between when I am running well, and when other variables in my life are going well too. It just seems like there’s good synergy between these things. When these ‘good’ phases come around, we need to embrace and enjoy them.

Having said that, we can’t solely depend on running to improve all other areas of our lives. Injuries are unfortunately part of the game and the risk of them always needs to be factored in. Running will give you a lot, but it won’t give you everything.

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All we can do it keep trying to get that balance as right as possible.

We’re not perfect and we are not always going to get things right. It’s like racing: They’re not all going to go your way, but as long as we keep showing up, keep trying and keep giving our best to get this balance as right as possible, that’s all we can do. Try to take a step back for just five minutes a week to work out the areas that need a bit of extra love and attention and focus on those. Once you can find this balance, it will result in more happiness - not just for you, but those around you too.

We all live very different and busy lives. The life balance is something we won’t always get right, but we can constantly work on improving.

Onwards and upwards.

Coach Nick.