Struggling to keep your work life and home life in balance? Tyra Banks feels your pain.

The New York Times recently featured the supermodel-turned reality show host and producer-turned talk show host on the cover of its Sunday magazine.

In the story, Banks, host of "America's Next Top Model" and "The Tyra Banks Show," explains why she traded her Blackberry for a simple notebook.

"I was addicted [to the Blackberry] and I was getting the carpal tunnel," she said." I was on that thing all the time. So now I write everything in this book."

Of course, non-celebrities feel the crunch, too. A recent, Father's Day-themed survey by Adecco USA, a human resources consulting firm, found that about 80 percent of dads are at least "somewhat likely" to send work-related e-mails late at night, according to the Washington Times.

"Work isn't just 9 to 5 anymore," Rich Thompson, head of training and development at Adecco, said to the Times.

At PJ'S Flowers & Gifts in Phoenix, however, Tony Medlock, AIFD, PFCI, says he keeps his work and personal lives "very much separated" with the press of a single button.

"When I get home I shut my [Palm] Treo off," he says. "I turn it back on when I head out in the morning. Out of all of my customers, only four or five have my cell phone number. They also have my home number, but that's not the norm."

If you haven't been quite as successful keeping your workload out of your home, help is on the way. In Sept., Sheryl Nicholson of the Life Balance Institute will give tips on how small-business owners can find a better work-life balance during "How to Get a Life... Balanced!" at SAF Palm Beach 2008. The session will focus on tools attendees can use to improve productivity, manage the daily grind and organize tasks at home and on the job. Find out more and register today on SAF's Web site.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 

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