What Strategies Help Clients Achieve Work-Life Balance?
In the quest for a harmonious work-life balance, we’ve gathered insights from thirteen wellness coaches, including life coaches and health and wellness coaches. They share experiences ranging from empowering assertiveness for promotion to fostering consistent actions for long-term balance. Dive into a wealth of strategies that have successfully guided clients towards a more balanced and fulfilling life.
- Empowering Assertiveness for Promotion
- Harmonizing Work With Inner Self
- Holistic Approach to Work-Life Balance
- Creating Daily Work Closure Lists
- Using Location to Separate Work and Life
- Strategizing Personal Time for Balance
- Setting Healthy Work Boundaries
- Setting Minimum Standards for Well-Being
- Evolving Commitments for Work Quality
- Building Morning Routines and Self-Care
- Color-Coded Schedules for Creative Balance
- Time-Blocking for Clear Boundaries
- Consistent Actions for Long-Term Balance
Empowering Assertiveness for Promotion
I had a client who was very stressed and was thinking about quitting her job due to stress. We did a deep dive into what was causing the stress. It was determined that my client did not have a voice at work or at home. We discussed why she was exhibiting this behavior. She was shocked to learn that her behavior had put her in the situation she was in.
We role-played how she would start saying no to other people in her organization and in her home life. Over a course of time, she mastered how to say no without offending the other party. Her quality of life soared. Management saw her confidence grow and her determination shine. She was promoted to director during our coaching time together. I ping her periodically, and she is doing wonderfully. She is happy and loves her job.
It is not always our job that is the issue. It can be how we navigate within our workspace and home life. Work-life balance is very important. First, we have to accept that we deserve a work-life balance and be willing to get the help we need to help us get there if we can’t do it on our own. It’s never too late to take charge of your happiness.
Beth Smith
Life Coach and Owner, Thriving With Resilience
Harmonizing Work With Inner Self
Whenever I work with my clients to implement a work-life balance strategy, we focus on bringing it back to its first principles. This means creating a realization that work is a big part of life itself. If there is an imbalance, then we need to address this at the foundation of the self. We focus on what the priorities are for the client, why certain decisions are made, and being more conscious of the needs of the self.
A long-lasting work-life balance strategy starts with finding harmony within. This will lead to a better understanding of where the client wants to go while being able to accept the present moment.
Benny Voncken
Stoic Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, Podcast Host, Via Stoica
Holistic Approach to Work-Life Balance
One of my clients, a high-achieving executive and mother of two, was grappling with intense burnout and mom guilt. We crafted a personalized journey focusing on physical revitalization, emotional liberation, authentic motherhood, professional empowerment, and sensual connection.
We wove in daily yoga and meditation, stress-relief practices, and energy-balancing exercises. We deepened her bond with her children through mindful presence and aligned her career with her core values. Gradually, she experienced a remarkable boost in her energy, emotional strength, and overall happiness.
By the end of our time together, she achieved a harmonious work-life balance and rekindled her passion and joy in both her career and family life. This transformation truly highlights the magic of holistic wellness coaching.
Elizabeth Munoz
Spiritual Guide | 🌺 Holistic Life Coach | 🌀 Founder, Soulhaven
Creating Daily Work Closure Lists
I was coaching a successful, but overly busy, executive who was having trouble mentally “leaving work at work” and being fully present with his family at the end of the day. He was constantly still thinking about the business, checking his email, etc., and it was taking a real toll on his marriage and his relationship with his children.
I asked him to create a “Work Current Concerns” and “Morning Action List” every day at 5 p.m. For his current concerns, he listed everything that was on his mind, was worrying him, or he might be tempted to think about after hours. For the action list, he listed out the first few things he wanted to tackle the next day.
Once he had these lists completed, there was no further reason to be thinking about work until the next morning! He was able to let the thoughts and worries go, leave work at work, and be fully present for his personal life after 5 p.m., creating a much healthier work-life balance.
Michele Caron
Life Coach, Founder, MyLifeCoach.com
Using Location to Separate Work and Life
When dealing with clients looking for work-life balance, I tend to look at their habits. The most powerful way I commonly implement to improve work-life balance is using location as a strategy for separating work and life.
Location has always been our natural way of separating work and life; you go into the office, and you come home. Now, with remote work and 24/7 connection, our work has no problem coming home with us. Now, we have to create these barriers ourselves.
Pick a location in your home, at a nearby library, or anywhere that makes sense for you to be your work location. This is where you work, and everywhere else in your home is not a work location. I have had clients pick a bedroom to make an office, pick a specific desk, or even a chair.
This has allowed them to focus heavily on work when they are in that location, sometimes doubling their output, and relax the rest of the evening without a care in the world.
Blake Farris
Habit Coach, Mito Coaching
Strategizing Personal Time for Balance
A client came to me wanting more balance in their life, so we spent time discussing exactly what “balance” meant to him. For him, it was having time for self-care (meditation, journaling, reading) in the morning before work, taking a walk break mid-day, and then having dinner with his family after work.
Together, we strategized how he could achieve this schedule both at home and on the road, since he traveled a lot for work. It took some trial and error for him to determine the amount of time he wanted to allocate for each, but after a couple of months, he can now prioritize his personal time and feels like he has more balance in his life.
Jalene Szuba
Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Happiness Anchor
Setting Healthy Work Boundaries
I once helped an ambitious client struggling to strike a work-life balance. She was transitioning from one job to another, where she had gotten a job as a manager. The job took an extreme toll on her because it had added benefits that came with equally more demands. She would spend long hours at work trying to accomplish everything and meet targets.
At times, she would have to take some of the work home, which strained her relationships with her husband and children. Three months into the role, she started to realize how much this job was affecting her personal wellness and out-of-work relationships.
She came to me drained and contemplating quitting the job, which would also mean a financial strain at home before she got another job. After she shared her struggles, we discovered together that she was trying so much to win the approval of her new bosses that she was losing herself in the process.
Further interrogations revealed that this was a result of deep-seated childhood trauma since she always had to work hard as a child to win the approval of her dad, who was a hard-to-please man. This struggle had not manifested in her former job since she could comfortably handle everything, but things had changed.
I guided her on how to set healthy boundaries at work. She would start by determining what was realistically manageable and communicate this with her boss. She then would set healthy boundaries by only working within the official hours. She was also to learn to manage her time at work effectively for maximum productivity. After work, she was never to carry home any work.
Once she implemented these strategies, she started enjoying her work. Today, she is a rank higher in the workplace than she was then. This is one of my best success stories as a life coach.
Adrienne Allaway
Founder & Life Coach, Adrienne Allaway
Setting Minimum Standards for Well-Being
In health coaching, one of the most fulfilling aspects is witnessing clients’ growth and their ability to harmonize work and personal life. Life unfolds in seasons, each demanding different levels of focus and energy. Sometimes career or work takes precedence, while at other times, personal health and relationships become more important. Maintaining health and self-care is crucial across all seasons. The key is to set minimum standards for each area to ensure that neither work nor personal life is neglected.
Take Megan, for example, a client who came to me during a significant life transition. She was navigating a divorce, and her children were moving out to attend college. As a business owner, Megan wanted to turn this challenging period into a positive transformation. She recognized the need to balance her business, personal life, and well-being. Together, we developed a strategy to help her thrive in all areas.
We began by identifying Megan’s non-negotiable minimums for health and self-care:
- Self-Check-Ins – Daily morning reflections, positive self-talk, gratitude, and stretching or foam rolling.
- Nutrition – Three balanced meals daily, focusing on protein and vegetables, and taking daily supplements.
- Hydration – Consuming 90-100 oz of water each day and using hydration packets and minerals as needed.
- Movement – Consistent routines including walking, hiking, and strength workouts.
These minimums ensured that Megan’s health remained a priority even during busy periods. We adapted her wellness strategy to fit the demands of her life. During intense work periods, we focused on maintaining her health efforts through quick, high-intensity workouts, brief walks, or exercise snacking (short bursts of activity throughout the day). In quieter times, we encouraged longer activities such as hiking, group fitness classes, or strength training.
Regularly reviewing her progress, celebrating successes, and making adjustments helped Megan stay on track. This ongoing process allowed her to adapt and achieve harmony between work, health, and personal life.
Katie Carpenter
Executive Health and Wellness Coach, Deliberate Directions
Evolving Commitments for Work Quality
As a certified life coach focused on helping clients get out of survival mode, I’ve learned that updating our commitments can profoundly nurture our well-being and our work quality. We often hold onto obligations or commitments as if they were set in stone, believing that asking for more time or saying no is wrong or bad.
But what if adjusting our commitments is the key to doing our best work? By giving ourselves the flexibility to reassess and update our commitments, we open the door to more creativity, insights, and innovation. This reduces stress and elevates the quality of what we deliver. Embracing the idea that commitments can evolve helps us take better care of ourselves while achieving professional excellence.
kelly barnard
Founder & Life Coach, the life canvas
Building Morning Routines and Self-Care
As a wellness coach, creating sustainable work-life balance routines is critical. One example I can share from a client that worked well is having a solid morning routine that includes setting an intention for the day, outlining three major tasks to get done, and then scheduling breaks throughout the day to step away. Routines and boundaries are so important, but so is having grace with yourself and prioritizing self-care each day.
Allison Jackson
Fractional Chief Well-Being Officer
Color-Coded Schedules for Creative Balance
I’d be happy to share a more unique example from my experience as a nationally board-certified health and wellness coach. One client that comes to mind is a freelance artist who was struggling with an erratic work schedule and creative burnout.
This client came to me feeling creatively drained and unable to maintain a consistent work routine, which was affecting both her income and personal life. Her work-life balance was practically non-existent as she would either procrastinate for days or work in intense, exhausting bursts.
Together, we developed an unconventional strategy that embraced her artistic nature:
- Color-Coded Time Blocking – We created a visually appealing, color-coded schedule that treated her day like a canvas. Each color represented different types of activities—work, leisure, self-care, etc.
- Inspiration Walks – We incorporated daily “inspiration walks” where she would explore her neighborhood, taking photos or sketching things that caught her eye.
- Pomodoro Technique With a Twist – Instead of traditional time blocks, we used song playlists. She’d work intensely for the duration of a carefully curated playlist, then take a break.
- Energy Management – Rather than strict time management, we focused on managing her energy levels, aligning intense work with her natural creative peaks.
Over time, this approach helped her establish a more balanced routine that honored her artistic process while ensuring consistent productivity. She reported feeling more inspired, less stressed, and better able to manage her workload. Her income stabilized, and she found more time for personal relationships and self-care.
Sarah A.O. Isenberg
Nationally Board Certified Health Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Coach, Thrive Guide Health Coaching
Time-Blocking for Clear Boundaries
As an integral coach, I had a client who was struggling with work-life balance. They felt overwhelmed by work and didn’t have enough time for their personal life, which was causing a lot of stress.
We focused on one key solution: implementing time-blocking. First, we looked at their daily schedule to find where they could make adjustments. Then, we set specific times for work, family, exercise, and personal relaxation. This helped them create clear boundaries between work and personal life.
Within a few weeks, my client noticed significant improvements. They started leaving work at a reasonable hour, spent more quality time with their family, and even found time for hobbies. Their stress levels went down, and they felt much more balanced. This experience showed how effective time-blocking can be. By making this one change, my client was able to improve their well-being and productivity.
Adam Klein
Certified Integral Coach® and Managing Director, New Ventures West
Consistent Actions for Long-Term Balance
You don’t achieve work-life balance or reach your goal and never think about balance again. Work-life balance is a long-term approach to your life. It requires small, consistent actions over time.
There are many layers to a balanced lifestyle. The most foundational layer of creating a balanced lifestyle is defining and maintaining boundaries while creating a tribe to support you (and these both start at home). It’s also helpful to build a partnership with your significant other, recognize and embrace the mindset shifts you must make, and strategically advocate for yourself/your needs at work and home. And take time each day or week to fill your cup. Remember that self-care is integral to being your best self in all areas of your life.
As a work-life balance strategist, I help clients take action to create the balance they crave. Most recently, I helped a working mom client rethink how she can simplify different aspects of motherhood. After answering a few questions before we met (yes, I give homework), we brainstormed during a live conversation.
I asked more questions, and we started looking at potential options, keeping in mind how my client thinks, works, and naturally takes action. With some clients, we might meet another time to ensure things are going smoothly or to look at how to tweak the solution we came up with.
Suzanne Brown
Founder/CEO, Mompowerment
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