Reclaiming Balance Between Work and Family
The 168-Hour Principle
There are 168 hours in every week. That number is the same whether you’re a Fortune 500 CEO, a local business owner, a stay-at-home parent, or a freelancer grinding away at midnight. Time is the great equalizer, and yet, how we spend it couldn’t be more unequal. For business owners especially, this number can be a wake-up call. It can reveal uncomfortable truths about priorities, misplaced identities, and ultimately, what truly matters.
For many entrepreneurs, business becomes more than just a career—it becomes a consuming identity. The drive to succeed, the pressure to grow, and the fear of failure can lead to a dangerous addiction to work. This addiction, while often masked as ambition or dedication, can steal hours away from family, faith, health, and personal fulfillment. And what’s left over is what our loved ones are expected to accept.
In this article, we will explore the consequences of this imbalance, why it happens, and how business owners can reclaim their 168 hours to build a life that reflects what they truly value.
Understanding the 168-Hour Principle
Let’s break it down.
- 168 hours in a week.
- Sleep takes roughly 56 hours (8 hours/night).
- That leaves 112 waking hours.
- If you work 60 hours a week, you have 52 hours left.
That remaining 52 hours has to account for everything else: commuting, eating, errands, exercise, relationships, rest, hobbies, spiritual practices, and of course—family.
The numbers don’t lie. When business takes up more and more space in your schedule, it begins to consume your life. If you are not deliberately allocating time to your family, you are not just failing to prioritize them—you are letting them live on the leftovers.
It’s easy to justify long hours at the office or constantly checking emails by calling it necessary or temporary. But when temporary becomes habitual, you risk becoming someone who is always busy, always building, and never fully present.
The Subtle Addiction to Work
Work addiction doesn’t always look like burnout. In fact, it often presents as energy, engagement, and enthusiasm. Business owners frequently justify overworking because:
- “I’m doing it for the family.”
- “This season is just really busy.”
- “I have to keep up with the competition.”
- “If I don’t do it, no one else will.”
These justifications are understandable, but they often mask a deeper dependency. The truth is, work becomes a comfortable escape for many entrepreneurs. It provides structure, control, identity, and in many cases, praise. It’s measurable and rewarding. But unlike family life, which is often messy, unpredictable, and emotionally complex, work offers the illusion of progress and clarity.
That illusion can become seductive. It creates a loop where the business owner finds validation in productivity and worth in performance. Before long, the business becomes a surrogate family, and actual family gets scheduled around the edges.
The Cost of Imbalance
The tragedy of work addiction is that it is often applauded in the short term and regretted in the long term. The consequences are both subtle and severe:
- Emotional distance: Your children may know your work ethic but not your presence.
- Relational erosion: Marriages suffer not from fights but from the absence of shared time and attention.
- Physical health: Poor sleep, skipped meals, and high stress are common outcomes.
- Spiritual neglect: There’s little room for reflection or soul work when every moment is packed.
Most business owners don’t realize the toll until it’s visible: a child acting out, a partner feeling ignored, or your own sense of emptiness when you finally stop working and don’t know who you are without it.
Here’s the truth that needs to sink in: The only people who will remember you worked late hours in 20 years won’t be your customers. It will be your children.
That statement isn’t meant to shame; it’s meant to clarify. Your legacy is not your profit margin. It’s the way you made your loved ones feel.
Reclaiming Your Time
Balance isn’t about perfectly allocating hours. It’s about being aligned with what you say matters most. Here are steps business owners can take to shift their relationship with time and reclaim their 168 hours:
- Track Your Time Honestly
Use a time audit to examine where your hours go each week. What’s actually getting your attention? This creates awareness, which is the first step to change. - Define Your Non-Negotiables
Decide which relationships or habits are not up for debate. That might be dinner with your family four nights a week, a weekly date night, or an hour of quiet each morning. - Schedule Family First
Don’t work family time around your business. Work your business around your family time. This simple shift in planning changes everything. - Delegate and Empower
Build a team you can trust and let go of the belief that you have to do it all. Control is a lonely game. - Establish Tech-Free Zones
Create physical and time boundaries where work is not allowed—like at the dinner table or during weekends. - Measure What Matters
Beyond sales and growth, measure joy, presence, peace, and connection. Make time for reflection. - Embrace Seasons but Avoid Excuses
Yes, some seasons are demanding. But they should have a start and end. If every season is a “busy season,” something needs to change. - Redefining Success
As a business owner, you are writing a story. You get to choose what kind of story it is. Is it the story of relentless hustle at the cost of connection? Or is it a story of intentional living where work supports life, not replaces it?
True success is found in alignment, not just achievement. It means your calendar reflects your values, your energy aligns with your priorities, and your business supports the kind of life you want to live.
“If you wouldn’t trade time with your children or spouse for money, then stop letting your time with them be consumed by your pursuit of it.”
The Take away: Living the Legacy You Want to Leave
You have 168 hours each week. That’s it.
Every yes to work is a no to something else. Make sure you’re not sacrificing what matters most on the altar of what’s urgent.
When your children are grown, they won’t remember the deals you closed or the hours you logged. They’ll remember if you showed up. They’ll remember if you laughed at the dinner table, cheered from the sidelines, or sat with them during hard moments.
There is no amount of business success that can replace the quiet joy of knowing you were present for your real life.
Reclaim your hours. Rebuild your balance. And remember: legacy isn’t built in boardrooms—it’s built in living rooms.
