5 Great Resources For Achieving Work-Life Balance

In recent decades, the concept of work-life balance, the idea that happiness rests on a proper proportion of paid labor and time off, has become popular. Consequently, a whole industry has emerged to help professionals strike the adequate balance. In no particular order, this list shares a few companies teaching people how to rest and have fun without sacrificing their career goals.

For #1, we have the ThirdPath Institute, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group is focused in re-inventing the standard ways we structure time, whether for work, family, or other pursuits. Those interested in working with the organization can meet with an Integrated Life Advocate to achieve their goals.

ThirdPath hosts weekly webinars where members share how they have successfully followed an integrated approach to work and life. It has a range of resources available to parents, such as the Leader Guide, which suggests ways caretakers can be successful at work while having plenty of time to care for their children and spend time with their significant other.

Coming in at #2, we have Total Leadership, created by Stew Friedman, founding director of the Wharton School's Leadership Programs and its Work/Life Integration Project. Friedman's method is meant to teach people how to achieve what he calls "four-way wins," at work, at home, in the community, and for one's self.

The guiding principles behind Total Leadership involve acting with authenticity, integrity, and creativity. It organizes leadership development programs through keynotes, workshops, individual and group coaching, assessments, and more. The group often pushes for policy changes that may lead to a better harmony between work and the rest of life.

Next up, at #3, we present GetFriday, a virtual assistant service based in India with clients worldwide. The company claims that its team can handle any task that doesn't require a physical presence; in other words, anything that can be carried out over the internet, via email, fax, telephone, or chat.

GetFriday works with individuals to offer assistance with things like travel itineraries, online research, and ordering home appliances. It can also provide services to businesses, doing bookkeeping, digital marketing, and more. For those in the fitness or healthcare industry, it can schedule patient appointments.

The #4 entry is teacher, international speaker, and author Renee Trudeau. She has developed a global community dedicated to exploring how to slow down. Trudeau believes that one's inner life should be as rich as one's outer life, which she describes as living more intentionally, from a place of peace, and responding to circumstances, rather than reacting to them.

Trudeau hosts several retreats throughout the year as well as online classes on topics such as self-care and learning to go with the flow. She is available to book for private events and conferences and has worked with Bank of America and the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.

Finally, at #5, we have Simple Intentions, a program designed by Jae Ellard. The platform aims to help professionals learn how to use awareness as a business skill. To teach this, Ellard's programs blend real-world experience with research in behavioral science, neuroscience, communication theory, and mindfulness.

Ellard offers a range of different workshops and can customize them for each company's needs. In Success with Stress, participants can learn how to proactively manage stress and have open conversations about what creates it and what is needed to care for self, team, and company when there are external pressures.