Editor’s note: This article was first published in September 2015; the figures on Virgin’s more than 400 companies and Branson’s 50 years in business, and Virgin’s flexible working, unlimited leave and recently introduced shared parental leave policies, reflect that time.
With the frantic pace we keep these days, it can be hard to achieve a balance between work and family life. If you lean too far in one direction, you can lose your footing and fall.
Richard Branson, after overseeing a global group of more than 400 companies for decades, has seen this happen time and again, but fortunately he has learned a few tips for finding balance. These are the five tips he himself published on the Virgin Group website for keeping a balance between work and family life.
1. Don’t just do things; be happy
One of the best lessons Richard Branson has learned over 50 years in business is that, to balance family life and work, we need to add one more item to our growing to-do list: “be”. Alongside the meetings, appointments and email replies, we need to find time to be inspired, enjoy the world and laugh with our loved ones. In other words, we need to find time to be happy.
“If you slow down, breathe and are present in the moment, you find balance more easily.” The balance between doing and being has been a lifelong lesson for him, in which he has learned to remember the to-do list, but also not to forget the “to-be” list.
(See: Listen more than you talk: one of the best pieces of advice Branson got from his father)
2. Work hard, play hard
It is no secret that Richard Branson likes to play as hard as he works. He has always lived by the “work hard, play hard” philosophy, believing it is one of the best ways to achieve balance. Having a career that keeps you busy does not mean you cannot live life to the full. Make spending time with your loved ones a priority, and put it in your work calendar as if it were a meeting.
(See: “You’ll go to prison or become a millionaire”: Branson did both)
3. Love what you do, and do what you love
Richard Branson has never thought of work and life as separate. His work is his life, and vice versa. If you can find a job you are passionate about, working hard does not have to be hard work. We spend roughly 80% of our lives at work, so it is important to find jobs we really enjoy. If you think of work as a hard, boring chore you have to do every day, perhaps it is time to consider a change of job.
4. Look for wellbeing in the workplace
If you are thinking about changing careers or starting a new job, look for a company that gives you options and promotes your wellbeing. Virgin, Richard Branson’s company, actively fights today’s pressures with a series of initiatives that support its employees’ wellbeing.
Its management offices encourage flexible working, have an unlimited leave policy and have recently introduced shared parental leave. These initiatives promote choice, and by empowering their employees with choice, they have been able to find a better balance between their jobs and their private lives. Through that balance, they have become happier, more engaged and more productive employees.
5. When everything goes wrong, don’t worry
We all fall off the tightrope and make mistakes sometimes. What matters is learning from it, getting back up and doing better next time.
And the truth is that Richard Branson’s business journey was no bed of roses. In his memoirs we saw a series of difficulties and challenges in which, had he not applied this kind of philosophy, he would probably have given up. But every time he fell, he got back up and grew much bigger as a company, as a businessman and, ultimately, as a person.
Further reading
- The fascinating biography, life and career of Richard Branson
- Richard Branson’s 10 best tips for success in business and in life
Featured image: Armineaghayan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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