In the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship, setting boundaries between work and personal life is crucial to prevent burnout. For CEOs and founders, mastering this balance can significantly impact overall well-being and productivity. In this blog post, discover insights from leading experts starting with the importance of developing a great team and concluding with the necessity of resisting immediate responses after hours. These expert tips, totaling thirteen, are sure to provide practical and actionable advice.
- Develop a Great Team
- Establish a Shutdown Ritual
- Fill Your Cup in the Morning
- Schedule Non-Negotiable Time Blocks
- Create No-Work Zones
- Combat Decision Fatigue
- Respect Your Time
- Schedule Exercise or Social Activities
- Embrace Active Listening
- Understand Personal and Company Health
- Set Clear Work Hours
- Establish Energy Checkpoints
- Resist Immediate Responses After EoD
Develop a Great Team
First, hire and develop a great team. If everything falls on you—a common trap for founders—you will never be able to separate work and life.
Second, I have some rules I hold myself to: putting my phone up for an hour when I get home, not using it at the dinner table, making sure I maximize my time with my family when I’m with them, and being present.
Ultimately, my life and work coexist, and I would have a hard time telling you where one starts and one stops. There is definitely focused time on each where I block out the other, but for the most part, I have built my life to have both of these things supplement each other. I try to stay self-aware when I am going harder on one side or another for a prolonged timeline, as I don’t want to cheat either. It’s not easy, but that’s how I keep my balance.
Oz Rashid
Founder and CEO, MSH
Establish a Shutdown Ritual
One thing that has worked for me is a mental shutdown ritual that signals it’s time to transition from work mode to personal time. This is very useful for taking my mental engagement away from work, as it is challenging to turn off the work mindset when not at work as a CEO.
I try to do a final task review for the day by reviewing all my tasks and moving any pending tasks to the next day. I make sure earlier in the day that all important tasks are completed as a top priority, and all closed tasks are moved to a completed list. This reassures me that everything is organized, important tasks are finished, and remaining tasks won’t be forgotten.
I also go for a walk after changing into casual clothes for home. This serves as a buffer activity for me. During the walk, I try not to think about work or listen to a work-related podcast. This helps me detach my mind from work.
Barkan Saeed
CEO, Vizteck Solutions
Fill Your Cup in the Morning
For me, I need to have time to fill my cup, which I aim to do in the morning before I look at my phone (which can pull me/distract me from my self-care routine).
I start the day with a moment of gratitude (less than 5 minutes) and do some yoga for 20 minutes, or light stretching if I’m short on time. Then I meditate for 10-15 minutes, depending on time, and try to do a 20-30 minute weight workout since I’m in my 50s now and concerned about bone density. I also have 1 day of cardio with HIIT for heart health. That is anywhere from 35 minutes minimum to 70 minutes max.
By filling my cup in the morning, I start the day centered and ready to give to others the rest of the day. I also then try to end the day with some reading (15 minutes) and a moment of gratitude before I close my eyes. Again, it helps me stay centered and reminds me of my inner wishes.
To help you establish and maintain these boundaries, ask yourself WHY. Why do I want to be my best self? Why do I want to prevent burnout? Establishing your WHY is like a beacon from a lighthouse. When you get distracted or bogged down, your WHY can help you find focus, clarity, and devotion to yourself again.
Even 5 minutes in the morning as time for yourself is a great place to start. Then as you see the benefits, you may want to increase it to add in more of what helps you get centered. As a health and wellness coach, these are what I help my clients discover about themselves—their why and what will help them be centered each day so they can present their best selves to the world and serve others.
Jalene Szuba
Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Happiness Anchor
Schedule Non-Negotiable Time Blocks
As CEO, I schedule non-negotiable personal-time blocks in my calendar. These are treated with the same importance as critical business meetings. During these blocks, I’m completely offline—no emails, calls, or work-related activities.
This practice forces me to disconnect regularly and signals to my team that personal time is valued. It prevents work from constantly bleeding into personal life, which is crucial for avoiding burnout.
The key is consistency. Stick to these blocks even when work pressures mount. Your team will adapt to your availability, and you’ll return to work more focused and energized.
This boundary-setting also models healthy work-life integration for employees, fostering a culture that respects personal time and well-being.
Sam Bahreini
Founder & CEO, Konstellate
Create No-Work Zones
As a CEO, setting boundaries between work and personal life is crucial to avoid burnout. One practical tip that’s made a big difference for me is creating “no-work zones” in my schedule. For example, I set aside specific hours each evening to disconnect—turning off notifications, putting work devices away, and focusing on personal time or family.
This dedicated break helps me recharge and stay energized for the next day. It can be challenging to stick to, but treating personal time as a non-negotiable appointment has been essential in maintaining a healthy balance and keeping up long-term productivity.
Sean Smith
CEO & Head of HR, Alpas Wellness
Combat Decision Fatigue
Did you know the average American makes 35,000 decisions a day? For executives, that number skyrockets. Constant decision-making, from responding to emails to strategic planning, can lead to what’s known as decision fatigue—a mental exhaustion from managing countless choices. Over time, decision fatigue doesn’t just affect productivity; it impacts well-being and business outcomes.
Decision fatigue isn’t about complex choices; it’s the mental toll of making so many. Leaders become prone to impulsive decisions or procrastination, ultimately weakening focus and eroding confidence.
Signs of decision fatigue can be procrastination, indecisiveness, impulsivity, irritability, among others. The impact can be detrimental, sapping creativity and joy. Yet there’s hope for leaders to overcome it.
At Wellness Beyond the Chair, we believe leaders need a calm mind to access clarity and insight. Psychodynamic therapy, MSW, LCSW, helps executives address decision fatigue.
Cherese Alcorn
CEO/Clinical Director, Wellness Beyond The Chair
Respect Your Time
I started a global branding and digital marketing firm 23 years ago. A mentor once told me that to prevent burnout, stay sane, and be successful, “me time” is not a luxury or pampering; it is maintenance. Respecting my time on the calendar and taking myself as seriously as I take my most-important clients is the most important act I can do to care for myself. If I am not at my peak performance, I am not going to be useful to anyone else either. So, I have learned to set boundaries by:
Giving myself permission to say no. Whether it means sleeping in (no to an alarm clock), meditating, taking a walk, delegating more work, or just turning off your phone and computer (no, I will respond later on my own schedule), simple acts of letting yourself relax and enjoy the moment are the very best gifts you can give yourself. It is about touching people in meaningful ways, which may mean being less busy, not more.
Disconnecting from technology periodically and focusing on cultivating human, face-to-face relationships. Even meeting for virtual coffee or drinks can accomplish so much more than email exchanges, social media posts, etc. I have found that building relationships is what drives my business, and technology supports them once they are solidified. Technology helps advance the conversation, but it will never replace the human interaction that builds trust over time.
Paige Arnof-Fenn
Founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls
Schedule Exercise or Social Activities
I schedule in time to exercise or for social activities. It sounds simple, but blocking out the time in my calendar means nothing else gets booked for that time, and I actually go and do the exercise or have dinner with friends. I work across so many time zones, so I end up doing very long work days, and if I don’t book the time for it, it doesn’t happen. Exercise is something that helps not only to stay fit and strong, but it also helps with stress management.
However, I’m not naturally motivated to do it, so I have to book the sessions. Oh, and paying for personal training or Pilates sessions that aren’t easy to cancel or reschedule also keeps me accountable.
Allison Hendricks
CEO, Simply Stakeholders
Embrace Active Listening
As the CEO of a globally active, fully remote agency, managing time and fatigue has always been my biggest challenge—especially since I am often the one on calls with clients from Australasia to Europe to the U.S. West Coast.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, our industry (digital marketing for wine) saw rapid growth, and we embraced a “make hay while the sun shines” mentality, often working around the clock. Since then, our workload has remained intense, with my meetings usually taking place between 5 PM and 2 AM. To avoid burnout while maintaining these hours, I’ve put in place boundaries that allow me to protect my focus, prioritize deep work, and ensure quality time with both family and clients.
One practical tip: Embrace active listening. By doing so, I make sure that when I’m with clients or my family, I’m 100% present and focused. If I can’t give my full attention at that moment, I’m transparent about it and schedule a dedicated time when I can fully engage. This approach prevents me from getting constantly pulled away from my focus during crucial work periods and demonstrates to clients and family that I value them and want to give them my undivided attention. More than anything else, this approach has strengthened my professional relationships and even taught my daughters the value of setting boundaries—skills they now use with their own friends.
My second piece of advice for fellow CEOs is to designate “no-meeting” days. I set aside Mondays and Fridays for research, learning, and deep work that benefits both myself and my clients. I communicate openly about why these days are off-limits, explaining that investing in understanding industry trends and challenges is key to delivering the best solutions for our clients. I started small—initially just blocking out Mondays—and I was surprised by how often people solved issues on their own when they had to wait for my availability.
Ultimately, these tactics not only protect my well-being but also amplify my ability to lead with clarity and intention, ensuring I deliver the best possible outcomes for both my clients and my team.
Polly Hammond
CEO, 5forests
Understand Personal and Company Health
By weathering a few crises, I have learned to understand the difference between me and my work by asking this question: In a crisis, I ask, am I OK? Is my company OK?
If I’ve broken my leg but my company is OK, then I’m not OK. But if I’m healthy and the company has issues, I’m OK; it’s my company that has the problem.
Understanding this simple fact—that I can be fine when my company is not—is critical to my current health as well as my company’s future. Why? If my company is in trouble, it’s me who has to save it. That takes creativity, a plan, and the energy to execute that plan. Very challenging if I’m burned out. But it took me a few crises to learn that.
I now plan a few months where I have a very full work schedule. This can be new products, preparing launches, and campaigns. I get a lot done in that time. Then I plan a few months with lower output and more time with friends, hobbies, and family.
Sarah Giblin
Founder, RiutBag
Set Clear Work Hours
As a CEO, creating boundaries between work and personal life is vital to prevent burnout. I start by setting clear work hours, which helps establish a routine and signals to my team when I’m available. A dedicated workspace fosters mental separation between work and personal time. Prioritizing self-care activities, like exercise and spending time with loved ones, is essential for maintaining mental health. I also learn to say “no” to opportunities that don’t align with my goals, allowing me to focus on what matters most.
Additionally, I use technology wisely, avoiding work-related communications during personal time. Regular self-reflection helps me assess my workload and mental state, ensuring I make necessary adjustments. By implementing these strategies, I maintain a healthy work-life balance, which enhances my effectiveness as a leader and supports my overall well-being.
Liana Zavo
CEO, PR Executive & Strategist, ZavoMedia PR Group
Establish Energy Checkpoints
Creating boundaries between work and personal life as a CEO is about time management, but more importantly, it’s about alignment. Burnout isn’t only about physical exhaustion or health breakdowns; it can show up as sadness, resentment, or even numbness when we’re operating in environments or roles that aren’t aligned with our values, purpose, or zone of genius. As leaders, it’s crucial to recognize that misalignment creates just as much friction as overwork.
One practical tip I use to prevent burnout is establishing “energy checkpoints.” I build intentional pauses into my week—moments where I step back and ask myself: Is what I’m doing right now giving or draining my energy? If the answer is the latter, I recalibrate. This might mean delegating tasks that drain me, rescheduling commitments that feel off, or carving out more time for what fills my cup.
Creating boundaries is about intentional design. For me as a founder and entrepreneur, it means defining what work hours look like, but also knowing when to step away mentally and emotionally. There are people I avoid or limit my interaction with if they drain me.
I also create “transition rituals” throughout my workday—a walk, gratitude journaling, taking time to eat, or affirmation setting—to signal a shift in focus. These small, consistent actions train my brain to recognize when it’s time to work and when it’s time to be present in my personal life. Boundaries also look like giving myself permission to say no to projects that don’t align with my values, even when they seem like “good” opportunities on paper.
Ultimately, boundaries are commitments to honoring your energy, values, and brilliance. They help us lead with intention, creating the spaciousness we need to show up fully, both in our careers and personal lives. When we align our work with what lights us up, the risk of burnout fades, and the impact we leave becomes more sustainable. When we lead from alignment, avoiding burnout becomes less about managing stress and more about staying connected to what fuels us.
Natalie Jobity
Leadership Elevation Strategist, Keynote Speaker, Best-Selling Author, The Unveiled Way
Resist Immediate Responses After EoD
As CEO of TimeCharge, balancing work and personal life can be tough. The nature of the role often makes it feel like there’s always another call to answer or email to send, but I’ve learned that creating boundaries is essential to prevent burnout and maintain effectiveness.
One practical boundary I work hard to maintain is resisting the urge to immediately respond to every email or call after hours. It’s harder than it sounds—especially when you’re deeply invested in the mission and want to be accessible to the team. But over time, I’ve learned that giving myself permission to wait until morning for non-urgent matters is essential. It’s not easy to put the phone down or close the laptop, especially in an industry as fast-paced as ours, but doing so gives me a clear mental break and helps me recharge for the next day.
This approach has also shown my team that it’s okay to set boundaries and that not everything requires an instant response. We’re all here to build a resilient, innovative company, but we can’t do that sustainably if we’re constantly “on.” By committing to this practice myself, I’m encouraging a culture of thoughtful, balanced work—one where we all have the space to pause, think, and return to challenges with fresh perspectives.
At TimeCharge, our mission is centered on energy, and maintaining personal energy is part of what enables us to do that well. Finding these boundaries is a continuous challenge, but each small step helps keep burnout at bay, both for myself and for the team.
Christian Belloso
Co-Founder & CEO, TimeCharge