I had a great conversation with an aspiring Personal Trainer this week. He reached out to me with a very thoughtful list about education, training systems, and business logic. 

The conversation was going great, and then he asked the infamous question.

The question of all questions.

Are you ready? I’m going to say it…

HERE IT COMES.

“How is the work-life balance in the Fitness Industry?”

Okay, maybe it isn’t that big of a deal. BUT, I do know that one of the biggest causes of burnout for many Personal Trainers is the insane hours and demand that being a service provider can place on you.

I wanted to write a quick 3 things and cover my thoughts on work-life balance. 

1) How good are your operating systems?

Not training systems, not business systems, but your operating systems. How good are you at time management? How good are you at establishing and setting clear boundaries with clients as well as colleagues? How well do you navigate tough conversations when they need to happen, NOT after the situation has reached melt-down mode. These are the operating systems I am referring to. 

Establish a well groomed O.S. and you’ll be on the way to finding balance in and out of the workplace. 

2) What do you want to get out of your career?

The answer to this question can and should change depending on the life-side of the equation. When I was in my 20s I never said no, worked whenever clients could and would train, and had goals to move up in management. 

I had no kids and a very (very very very) understanding girlfriend who is now my wife. I had the time to dedicate and was totally cool working whatever I thought was required to achieve my goals. 

Fast forward a decade into my 30s, with a wife and 2 year old at home, my answers typically start with “no” and I am very selective on who I work with, let alone who I work for. 

I anticipate this will all change when I’m in my 40s as well. 

3) Work-life balance is subjective to the person. 

Like I alluded to with the two points above, the concept of work-life balance is unique to the person, their life and career objectives, and the support system around him or her. 

And that’s okay. 

I think we get this picture of a perfect 9-5 or working 7-3 each day, weekends off, a bunch of paid holidays, and anything outside of that is unacceptable. 

Maybe it is? That’s for you to decide.

Maybe it isn’t? Again, your decision. 

At some point you have to define what that scale looks like and what has to occur on both sides in order for that scale to look, and feel, in balance.

Before you go, I have a favor to ask.

If you’ve found this article, or any of my 3 things blogs or podcasts helpful, I would love for you to share it with a friend. Send it to them, tag them in the comments, post it on your Facebook or Instagram stories, any share would mean a lot to me.

Thank you!