Work-life balance: It’s something that many of us struggle with, and that some never really get the hang of. Some don’t know when to leave the office or put down their phones in order to experience life outside of work. For others, staying focused and committed to work is the real issue. But Scott Bartnick – engineer, e-commerce expert, world traveler, entrepreneur – took the concept and transformed it into something that worked for him. Bartnick says “I think work-life balance is kind of a joke. I think people that have good work-life balance actually have really good time management skills.”
Bartnick has had enough experience to know what works best for him to reach his goals. Studying Industrial and Systems Engineering at one of the top schools for engineering, Scott then went on to work as an engineer for three years at a Fortune 500 company. He then started his own e-commerce brand – while traveling throughout Asia. His time spent on the road traveling is the most illuminating take on Scott’s approach to balancing work and life. Working while traveling isn’t something everyone can do, but Scott managed to not only do it, but to thrive.
How? For Scott, time management is key; key for success as an entrepreneur and key to enjoy life. With proper time management skills and your goal in mind, one can create their own schedule. Scott says that this, with the ability to easily adjust and react to activities within his environment, is his approach to a fulfilling work-life balance. He points out that all of us only have a certain amount of hours per day, so being intentional with what you do with those hours is important.
That includes making the most of the mornings. For Scott, and for many other prominent people, it’s fundamental. Getting up at 6:00 AM or even earlier is a hard and fast rule for Scott. He abides by the practice of making his bed, an easy way to start the day off with a victory. Then, it’s the gym – no matter if he’s feeling lethargic, or even sick. It’s something that needs to be done, a mentality that fosters goal-meeting. It’s a checkmark off the list, and since he gets up early, it’s done before most people arrive at their jobs.
Being flexible and adjusting to his environment are tools that were – and still are – regularly used in his toolbelt. Scott focuses on two things: work comes first, but don’t let exciting opportunities slip by. “I think the important thing is anytime that there was a cool opportunity, especially while traveling, I put my laptop down instantly. So if I was working, and in the middle of a giant project and someone walked up to me and said ‘Hey Scott you want to go explore some waterfalls’ I’d say ‘hell yeah’ and I put my laptop down.”
Work and goals would need to be prioritized and met, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun anytime he wanted. While on the road in Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, or elsewhere, Scott would sometimes take weeks off to travel and spend time with friends. This allowed him to enjoy himself, friends, and his travels. To set his life-work scales into balance he would put himself in a room, and set to work, work, and work. He says that even as a child, studying for twelve or more hours straight was something he just did. No breaks, just straight dedication and work, focusing on what he was learning. He has that same approach now: take his work, close himself off and build towards his goal.
Time management, knowing when to take a break and enjoy things around him are part of his every day, even off the road. Besides his early rising and gym routine, Scott recognizes taking the dog for a walk or taking a long lunch break are fine. They’re even important, as long as the goal and work are on task. Scott says it isn’t important to focus on work-life; for him proper time management keeps him going. “If I get up at 6:00 AM and I go to the gym and I work a full day, there’s no reason why I can’t go on my fun evening or take a four-hour lunch break.”
So take your work-life balance approach and swap it out for good time management. It just may lead to success and time for enjoyment. Now you can find Scott running OtterPR.com & TheFiveDayStartup.com.
