Work-life balance. The idea is almost laughable. In fact, it is laughable to most within the trade show industry. However, without balance, you pave the way to the inevitable burnout. In an industry where long days, tight deadlines, travel, late nights, early mornings, and “just one more email” are all part of the job, burnout can sneak up on you before you even realize it. Once burnout has a grip on you, it can be very hard to break that cycle. Earlier this year, I found myself in a state of burnout that was overstaying its welcome. However, I didn’t notice (or maybe I did notice, but was just in denial) until it came to a point where I was forced to take a step back. To both get back on track and avoid future burnout, I realized I needed to embrace a work-life balance. But does such a thing even exist in our world? Yes. Yes, it does. And you need to start doing it.

When you’re an all or nothing type of person, taking a step back and slowing down can seem like a daunting task, impossible even. If you find yourself approaching or at burnout, here are a few tips that have personally helped me navigate this new world, and hopefully they help you too.

1. Define what work-life balance means to you

You can’t put anything into practice without first defining what it is. And, because everyone is different, work-life balance is going to look different for everyone. It may look like attending your kid’s soccer game on the weekend without answering a work call. It could mean shutting your laptop at a specific time. It could mean taking a vacation, and actually taking your vacation without letting work interrupt. It could mean all these things! Your definition may change and evolve as time goes on, and that’s perfectly okay. Defining work-life balance is going to take some self-reflection and raw honesty. Be honest with yourself with what you need and how you feel. If you’re at a point where you don’t know what it would even look like, that’s okay too, awareness is the first step.

What’s most important is defining what your balance looks like, rather than comparing yourself to others. Your balance needs to work for you alone and no one else.

2. Make promises, and keep them

Day in and day out, we make and keep promises to our clients, managers, coworkers. But what about the promises we make to our family, friends, or even to ourselves? Do those promises slide? If you told your spouse you would be done by 6pm, then be done by 6pm. That “one more email” can wait until tomorrow. If you promised a friend you’d make plans, then honor those plans as you would honor an EAC deadline. Joke aside, honoring commitments and promises outside of work may feel foreign and difficult at first, but with like any new habit, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. On the flip side, don’t overextend and make promises you know you can’t keep. Everything in moderation is key.

3. Take care of yourself

If you’ve ever been on a plane, you have heard during the safety presentation “put your oxygen mask on first before assisting others”. That saying can be applied to your life too. Take care of yourself so that you can be the best “you” possible. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, how can you take care of clients to the best of your ability? Neglecting yourself to always take care of others while operating at 100%, 100% of the time, isn’t sustainable. Eventually you’ll be running on fumes which leads to system failure. Just as the definition of work-life balance is different for everyone, taking care of yourself will look different. Eat a real meal and not just survive on coffee. It seems basic, but the amount of times I’ve skipped meals because I was go-go-go is astounding. Mentally and physically, taking care of yourself should be priority number one.

Work-life balance doesn’t mean you never work late, or you never take calls on the weekend. Let’s be honest, that’s not very realistic in our world. What it does mean is making sure work doesn’t become your entire life. Balance is about recognizing when you’ve been running at 100% for too long and making the decision to slow down. It’s about making time for the people and things that matter to you outside of work.