One of the most asked questions we receive as a couple is how do we balance work (as we work full-time as partners in our two businesses: this blog and our shop) and life! We were recently on a mini getaway in Muskoka and decided to make a video chatting more about this topic.

I’ll add this: our work flows out of who we are. So much of our businesses are based on our lifestyle, the season we are in and our passions. We are grateful to have a job like this that brings us a lot of joy, but it also comes with it’s set of challenges. There are nights of hard work that goes over the time when we say we’re going to shut it off. Sometimes that happens (that in itself is called balance for us). It’s a subjective thought to each individual because it all comes down to what you value and what you need as a person.

Neal and I know we need our time to be with God, we need to be in service to each other and our community. We know we need time to connect and focus on our marriage and shut off work and just be present with one another and create memories, not just content. We look at our marriage as a union to garden things together. The purpose is not just us — it’s about others. How can we use our gifts, partnership and love to bless others either through our businesses, our on-line audience or to the people in our lives. How we treat people on the internet, in our homes and in our presence matters.

We use our phones as a tool for our business, but we’re learning more and more how much we want to unplug from them whenever we can. Each season will demand different things from you, and you have to alter your structure, time and priorities with the changes that come with life. There are times our families need us (through illnesses, struggles etc.), there are times we’re in a season of hosting and entertaining and other ones of having to focus a lot of our attention on our work.

For Neal and I to serve our businesses and each other, we have to have make balance a daily habit in our work and life by being intentional. We took out some time in Muskoka and got all of our “work” out of the way on the first day and then the second day we just enjoyed the spa, sipped on local wine and ate copious amounts of cheese boards! Watch the video for what we have to say on this topic — again none of us are perfect and have it all figured out, this is just what we are growing in. We may find better ways to do this down the road, the great part is you can always tweak and adjust as you learn what feels right for you.

If you have any tips on work-life balance we’d love to hear them down below…