The importance of work-life harmony
Job burnout. It’s the main reason that up to half of workers leave for better opportunities.
It is important to set clear boundaries between home and work. This will make your team feel valued, not like hamsters on wheels.
Research shows that work-life balance is very important. It is the #1 predictor for job satisfaction and #2 to employee engagement and retention.
Many people believe that work-life balance can be a myth. It’s possible, we say. It’s been a core part our company culture from day one.
Here are some tips to help you and your team achieve a healthy balance.
1. Keep it to 36 hours per week
It might seem impossible to keep your team productive in 36 hours per week, but we are here to tell you.
John Correlli, Nathan Gilmore and cofounders of TeamGantt learned the value constraints early on. They started building TeamGantt with just 4 hours per week. It was a luxury to have 40 hours to work when TeamGantt became their full time job.
Nathan explains, “If we could do the same thing we did with only 4 hours per week, why would it take us to work 60 or 80 hours?”
It all boils down to Parkinson’s law. This states that work expands so that it fills the time available for completion. In other words, your team will use all the time they have to do the work, regardless of how many hours you give them each week.
SourceJohn and Nathan took a slow approach to reducing TeamGantt’s workweek down to 36 hours a few decades ago. It wasn’t an easy decision. They took a slow approach and rolled it out in stages before finally taking the leap.
Here’s how that rollout looked:
Year 1: Fridays in the summer are half-day Fridays
Year 2: Fridays during the summer and half-day Fridays during the holiday season
Year 3: Fridays during the summer and holidays on half-days
Year 4: Fridays at half-day for a 6-month trial
We passed all the tests and made the change. Our team can attest that nothing motivates you as much as knowing that you get half-day Fridays every week!

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2. Minimize distractions
Distractions can be costly when you have only 36 hours per week to make a real difference. It’s crucial to create an environment that allows your team to focus on the important work so they can finish the day on schedule and be fully present at their home.
These distraction-free tips are our recommendation.
Remote access
Do you want your team to have a greater impact? You can let them work remotely.
We built our 100% remote team by eliminating distractions. We’d venture to guess that 3 remote workers could be as productive as 6 office workers.
Remote work may sound like a sure-fire way to reduce productivity. Open-office environments are already doing this for you. High-performance workers report that open offices can be distracting and don’t provide private spaces for problem-solving.
SourceHow can remote work be made more efficient? Give your team the ability to prioritize and make it easy for them schedule their days so that the most important tasks are completed first.
Keep meetings to a minimum
Meetings are a time-sucker that can often throw teams off-course.
Nathan states that if people are in meetings all day they won’t be able to get work done. “Just be mindful of their time to make sure they get hours each day to work.
These questions will help you make sure that you are really able to schedule a meeting before you do.
It will help everyone who attends.
Will it benefit our customers or clients?
Does it support our overall business goals?
If a meeting is the best way for you to get things done, send the invites.