Achieving a healthy work-life balance in technology leadership roles can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. This article presents practical strategies gathered from experienced tech leaders who have successfully managed this balance. From organizing your day to implementing boundaries and focusing on relevant innovations, these insights offer valuable guidance for tech professionals seeking to harmonize their work and personal lives.
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- Wake Early to Organize Your Day
- Lead by Example in Setting Boundaries
- Start Each Morning with Intention
- Implement CEO Office Hours
- Focus on Relevant Innovations
- Turn Off Work Notifications
- Schedule Weekly Off-Grid Time
- Set a Firm End to Your Workday
- Establish Daily Unplugged Me-Time
- Prioritize Tasks and Guard Family Time
- Design a Modular Workload Architecture
- Time-Block Non-Negotiable Personal Time
- Enforce Hard Stops for Work Hours
- Protect Off Hours Before Scheduling Work
- Balance Mental and Physical Activities
- Take Phone-Free Evening Walks
- Unplug Completely on Weekends
- Automate Repetitive Tasks
Wake Early to Organize Your Day
I belong to the 5 AM Club. My mantra is to wake up early, so I have sufficient time to organize the rest of my day and set my priorities in a journal. This way, I know how much more I can take on throughout the day.
At the end of the day, I return to my journal to reflect on incomplete tasks.
Even with all the planning, striking a work-life balance can seem challenging. If two priorities demand attention at the same time, I decide which one to let go or delegate without feeling guilty.
Himanshu Agarwal, Co-Founder, Zenius.co
Lead by Example in Setting Boundaries
It’s easy to blur the lines between work and play in a remote setup. However, since we committed to work autonomy and flexibility with our global team, I make sure I lead by example in setting proper boundaries to ensure a healthy work-life balance, not just for myself but for everyone in the team. We work across different time zones, so we trust our teammates to work according to their own pace as long as they’re delivering results. We also schedule meetings and sync-ups that are advantageous for all team members involved, adjusting to asynchronous communications if needed to avoid impeding on anyone’s personal time.
When I’m away on holiday, I make sure to steer clear of work and trust my teammates to do their work magnificently even during my absence. The same is expected from everyone else. This has resulted in a work culture filled with respect, trust, energy, and fulfillment that allows us to approach our mission with passion and dedication without sacrificing our own identities over it.
Jamie Frew, CEO, Carepatron
Start Each Morning with Intention
As a technology leader, it’s easy to get caught up in constant demands: meetings, strategy decisions, product reviews, and market shifts. Over the years, I’ve realized that maintaining a healthy work-life balance isn’t just about managing time; it’s about managing energy and mindset. One habit that has made a real difference for me is starting each morning with intention. Before the workday begins, I dedicate time to meditation, a long walk, and yoga. This morning routine helps me clear my mind, reduce stress, and stay grounded, no matter how busy the day ahead looks. It has become an essential part of how I show up as a leader. After all, taking care of yourself allows you to lead your team and business with more focus, clarity, and purpose.
Krishna Bhatt, Founder and CEO, Webuters Technologies
Implement CEO Office Hours
I learned early on that saying “no” isn’t about being difficult — it’s about being strategic. As Zibtek grew, I found myself drowning in every decision, every meeting, and every “quick question” that stretched into hour-long discussions.
My game-changer was implementing what I call “CEO Office Hours.” Instead of being available all day, I designated specific times when my team could approach me with non-urgent matters. Outside those hours, I’m either in deep work mode or completely offline.
This simple boundary did two things: it forced my team to become more self-reliant and think through problems before bringing them to me, and it gave me protected time to actually lead instead of just react.
The real magic happened when I started applying this same principle to my personal life. I treat family time with the same respect I give board meetings — it’s non-negotiable and goes on the calendar first.
Here’s the counterintuitive part: being less available actually made me more effective as a leader. My team respects the boundaries because they see the results. When I am present, I’m fully present. Quality over quantity isn’t just a product philosophy — it’s how I approach every aspect of my life.
Cache Merrill, Founder, Zibtek
Focus on Relevant Innovations
One way I stay happy and healthy as a tech leader is by deliberately not chasing every trend or new development. There’s a subtle pressure (even a bit of inherent shame) that comes with being in the tech space and occasionally finding yourself saying, “Wait, what’s that?” when someone mentions the latest app or tool.
But trying to stay on top of every single innovation is a fool’s errand.
For one, many of these trends won’t last. Some technologies simply won’t pan out, and in many cases, it’s not only acceptable but wise to wait until the early kinks have been worked out.
Secondly, not every new development will apply to my business, no matter how exciting or cutting-edge it may seem.
Over time, I’ve built a more intentional approach: I focus only on learning what’s most relevant and impactful to my business. This selective curiosity allows me to stay informed where it matters without becoming overwhelmed. More importantly, it gives me the space to prioritize other essential parts of life — like family, health, and rest — without feeling like I’m constantly falling behind.
Rob Reeves, CEO and President, Redfish Technology
Turn Off Work Notifications
As a technology leader in the fast-paced world of service delivery and digital innovations, I initially believed I needed to be available to my team 24/7. I had the energy and the intention to always show up and be ready with advice and learning. However, I soon realized that even elite marathoners know when to rest. True presence isn’t about being constantly available; it’s about being well-rested and fully engaged when it matters most.
In our increasingly connected world, the line between work and home has become blurred. We are juggling more than ever, often with a quiet sense of guilt or frustration. No matter how ambitious and capable you are, no one can be everywhere at once. I now understand that creating space for balance is essential for me and my team to perform sustainably, preserve our mental health and well-being, and together build SupportYourApp as a workplace where people can truly thrive.
I’ve adopted a simple yet powerful habit: turning off all work-related notifications on my phone, including those from Slack and email. It helps me stay focused during the day and fully disconnect when I am not at work. I check messages when I choose to do so, not when they interrupt. The secret lies in setting clear boundaries to reduce mental clutter and create a recharge space — something every tech leader should consciously maintain.
Maintaining and promoting a healthy work-life balance in our company is a strategic advantage, given the pace of innovation, the rise of AI, and our environment of high-pressure problem-solving. I know that if I am overwhelmed, my decision-making abilities suffer, my creativity declines, and my team often mirrors that imbalance.
I encourage my team leaders to set clear boundaries and prioritize well-being, ensuring that we send a powerful message of performance and sustainability. Balanced leaders think more clearly, lead with more empathy, and make valuable long-term decisions. The result is a healthy team culture where people feel trusted, supported, and empowered to innovate and thrive without burning out.
It is my responsibility to ensure that my teams thrive, and this involves making mental well-being part of our everyday activities. For me, it’s not about perks like ping-pong tables or good coffee. For me, it’s about trust, empathy, and flexibility. If people feel they have some control over how and when they work, stress drops and empowerment increases.
Daria Leshchenko, CEO and Managing Partner, SupportYourApp
Schedule Weekly Off-Grid Time
As a technology leader in the renewable energy sector, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential — not just for personal well-being, but also to remain effective and innovative in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
One practical strategy that has helped me prioritize my well-being is intentionally integrating structured “off-grid” time into my weekly routine. Given the demands of leading our engineering and operations teams, especially while scaling across North America, it’s easy to remain perpetually connected. But I’ve found that stepping away — literally and digitally — from devices and project dashboards for at least 24 hours each week allows me to recharge mentally and return with sharper focus and stronger decision-making capacity.
This isn’t just downtime for the sake of rest. I use that space to engage in nature-based activities — often hiking or drone testing in remote areas — which feeds both my personal passion for technology and my deep commitment to the environment. It reinforces why I do what I do.
For anyone in a leadership role, particularly in the tech and renewable energy sectors where innovation is constant, I recommend creating a non-negotiable time block weekly that serves your physical and mental reset. Prioritizing your own energy allows you to lead with clarity, sustain momentum, and model resilience for your team.
Matthew Jaglowitz, CEO, Exactus Energy Inc.
Set a Firm End to Your Workday
I’ve found that if I don’t set boundaries, work will take up all the space I give it. One thing that’s helped is deciding when my day ends — and treating that like any other meeting I wouldn’t cancel.
Running my business means there’s always something that needs attention, but I’ve learned that stepping away is just as important as showing up. Some of my best thinking happens outside the office — on a walk, at dinner with family, or just having some quiet time to reset.
It’s less about balance in the traditional sense and more about being intentional. If I don’t protect that time, no one else will.
Nick Gabriele, Director, Noterro
Establish Daily Unplugged Me-Time
One thing that has worked best for me is blocking out an “unplugged, me-time” slot in my calendar. Every day, at either 6 or 7 PM, I have a device-free time in my day which I devote to pursuing my hobbies, spending time with friends and family, or simply unwinding at home. I don’t check my email, my social media, or my notifications.
I have found that this device-free routine really signals that I truly prioritize my work-life balance, as it gives me a predictable downtime to rest and recharge. These “unplugged” hours of my day have helped me return to work every morning with increased focus, more stable energy levels, and more creativity. Not to mention the significant decrease in my overall stress levels and fatigue, which ultimately are the main well-being benefits of this routine.
Alex Sarellas, Managing Partner & CEO, PAJ GPS
Prioritize Tasks and Guard Family Time
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance isn’t just a personal goal; it’s essential to leading with clarity and resilience. One practical strategy that has helped me is using the Eisenhower Matrix to separate what’s truly urgent from what’s simply noise. I pair this with the Pomodoro Technique during deep work sessions, which helps me stay focused without burning out.
Outside of work, I make exercise non-negotiable; even a 30-minute walk resets my energy. And I guard time in the evenings for family, where I fully unplug. That space reminds me why we build what we build at Esevel: to empower teams to work better, not just harder.
Yuying Deng, CEO, Esevel
Design a Modular Workload Architecture
I run a lean engineering team that’s fully remote, and like most tech founders, I used to carry a lot more responsibility than I should have.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that being always available, always fixing things, and always answering questions means you’re being a good leader. But in my experience, that’s not leadership; it’s an overload disguised as responsibility.
Things changed when I realized that real balance doesn’t come from working less, but from removing yourself as the single point of failure. That’s where my workload architecture comes in. It’s the system I use to maintain both business velocity and personal sustainability. And it starts by asking one question: if I stepped away for a day, would this system still run?
To answer that, I began redesigning everything around clarity and autonomy. I invested time into documenting key processes — clear, readable instructions my team could follow without me. I restructured our internal tools so people didn’t need to ping me for answers. I broke down responsibilities so no one person, including myself, held exclusive knowledge of a task. The goal was to build a modular system where each person could move independently but still stay aligned with the bigger picture.
That structure gave me something I didn’t have before, which is space. Not just space to rest, but space to lead with perspective instead of reacting in real-time to everything. And the best part? My team started growing more confident too. Because when you give people the clarity and trust to own their work, they step up.
Workload architecture isn’t just a productivity hack. For me, it’s how I protect both the business and my well-being. It ensures that no one burns out just to keep things afloat.
Cahyo Subroto, Founder, MrScraper
Time-Block Non-Negotiable Personal Time
One practical strategy that has worked well for me is time-blocking my calendar with non-negotiable personal time — especially in the evenings and on weekends. I treat that time with the same level of importance as any high-stakes meeting or product review. It’s easy to let work consume every waking hour when you’re building something, but I’ve learned that taking time to disconnect and recharge — whether it’s going for a walk, spending time with family, or just reading something non-tech-related — actually makes me sharper and more effective when I’m back at work. It’s a discipline I’ve had to develop over time, but it has made a significant difference in my overall mental clarity and decision-making.
Igor Golovko, Developer, Founder, TwinCore
Enforce Hard Stops for Work Hours
Being a tech leader is like being the captain of a ship — all eyes are on you waiting for orders, and it seems as though you need to be “ON” at all times. But the thing is, “if the captain is too tired, the whole ship suffers.”
The best habit I have seen work is something super simple: hard stops. Pick a time each day when work ends, whether it’s 6 PM or later, and stick to it religiously. Treat that appointment as if it’s your most important client meeting; because in reality, you’re meeting with yourself and your family.
Here’s how to implement this strategy. At the chosen time, just quit. Close your laptop and turn off notifications for your phone. Move out of sight and engage in different activities. Maybe it’s cooking dinner, playing with your kids, reading a book, or just sitting quietly for 10 minutes.
Creating these boundaries can transform not only you but every member of your team too. Just implement such measures while communicating something like: “Unless it’s a real emergency, I won’t respond to messages after 6 PM.” Encouraging healthy boundaries everyone should practice during non-working hours feels magical for everyone.
Like your smartphone, your brain also needs to recharge. When you take breaks, you return sharper and smarter than before. Your decisions improve because you are not operating in survival mode.
The most difficult thing for many leaders is accepting that giving themselves a break actually improves their leadership. Rested leaders are more effective problem solvers; they troubleshoot faster, remain calm under pressure, and provide inspiration to work more efficiently rather than just more.
Start with just one hour of “no work” time each day. Your future self will thank you.
Nathan Fowler, CEO | Founder, Quantum Jobs USA
Protect Off Hours Before Scheduling Work
As a technology leader, I’ve learned that work-life balance isn’t about perfect boundaries; it’s about intentional energy management. One practical strategy that has helped me is time-blocking “off hours” before scheduling anything else. I protect evenings with my partner and reserve Sunday mornings for family calls, no exceptions.
It sounds simple, but anchoring my calendar around relationships and rest, rather than meetings, has completely changed how I show up. It has made me more focused during work and more present outside of it.
Ironically, building my platform, a mental health support tool, has made me more accountable to my own well-being. You can’t build something meaningful around care if you’re constantly running on empty.
Ali Yilmaz, Co-founder & CEO, Aitherapy
Balance Mental and Physical Activities
I manage the development team, plan, select architectural solutions, and communicate with the businesses. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is extremely important to me as it helps me stay focused and productive at work. So, I stick to one simple strategy that lets me maintain my well-being.
I set clear hours for work and rest. For example, I have 8 hours assigned to work; I do my job during these hours and then move on to other activities. This approach helps me not to overwork and restore my strength.
Outside of work, I focus on physical activities such as walking or engaging in sports. I also never check my email before going to bed. This helps my mind to relax. Mind and body are connected, and paying great attention to how you feel is crucial because it is impossible to work effectively if you feel unwell. So balancing mental and physical activities is key that allows me to stay productive for extended periods.
Vladyslav Makoveychyk, Head of Web Development, Overcode
Take Phone-Free Evening Walks
One thing that has helped me stay sane as a tech leader is something simple: I take a real walk every evening — no phone, no podcasts, no agenda. Just me, moving through the neighborhood, feeling the cool air, the crunch of gravel under my shoes, and letting my mind finally not solve problems.
It started during a time when I was burning out and didn’t even realize it. I’d go from my bed to my desk and back again, and the days all blurred together. I thought productivity meant being always available, but it was killing my creativity.
That daily walk became a way to reset. Sometimes I come back with clarity on a tough decision. Other times, I just notice how good the evening smells after rain, and that’s enough. It reminds me I’m not just a CEO — I’m also a person with a body and senses, not just a brain wired to code or manage.
Eugene Musienko, CEO, Merehead LLC
Unplug Completely on Weekends
It’s really easy to fall into the trap of being “on” all the time, especially on weekends. But a couple of years ago, I made a hard rule for myself: no work on weekends. No emails, no Slack, no strategy sessions. Just time with my family, getting outdoors, or even doing nothing. At first, it was uncomfortable. I’d feel anxious, as if I was falling behind. But over time, it became one of the best habits I’ve built.
Unplugging fully on weekends has helped me reset mentally and come back on Mondays more focused and creative. I’ve noticed better decision-making, fewer knee-jerk reactions, stronger relationships both at work and at home, and it also sets the tone for the team. When they see leadership respecting boundaries, they feel safer doing the same.
We all talk about hustle, but recovery is where long-term performance comes from. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
George Chasiotis, Co-Founder, Restartt
Automate Repetitive Tasks
One habit that has made a meaningful difference for me is setting up systems that handle repetitive work without my involvement. Early on, I noticed how much time I was losing to repeated actions, such as replying to the same types of emails, handling basic customer onboarding steps, or chasing status updates. These weren’t high-value activities, but they constantly disrupted deeper work and blurred the line between work and personal time.
By investing in small-scale automation, such as scheduling internal reminders, triggering onboarding sequences, or routing requests using tools like Zapier and lightweight scripts, I was able to clear mental space and recover time that used to get lost in the noise. More importantly, it helped the team operate with less friction and fewer bottlenecks.
It’s not about chasing efficiency for its own sake. It’s about protecting focus and creating space for work that actually requires your presence, whether that’s a strategic decision or dinner with your family. This shift in mindset has been one of the most sustainable ways I’ve found balance.
Dimi Baitanciuc, Co-Founder & CEO, Brizy.io
