How to balance your personal and professional life

How to balance your personal and professional lifeHow to balance your personal and professional lifeI was actually trying to avoid a CEO position before I took on my current position at Morphic Therapeutic. I have two young kids, and I figured I could work as a CEO in about 10 years once theyd left home. I wanted work-life balance.Then, I spoke with one of my mentors. He knew a guy in his late 50s that was having a hard time finding a CEO position, in part because people were starting to think of him as over the hill.And that really got me thinking. Was now the right time? Would it be too late to find a position like this in 10 years? Would I be able to spend enough time with my kids if I took a job as a CEO?Im leid the only one whos had to ask these questions. Maybe youre starting your career, wondering how to find that elusive work-life balance. Its a common concern.I found the family and career balance I needed - even in a leadership position. So, I wanted to share what it takes to get there.Earn the balance you wantThe best way to gain work-life balance? Be good at what you do.Think of it as buying yourself flexibility by being incredible at your work. The better you are, the more control you gain over your schedule. The stronger your skills, the more leverage you have in the workplace.Maybe you want to work from home two days a week. Is that really going to be a problem if everyone knows youre extremely good at what you do?So, start thinking about what you can do now to build your skills and gain more leverage. Anything you do now to increase your value in the job market will help you gain the work-life balance you want down the road.I know it may not help you at this very moment, but it will pay off in the long run.Think of your future selfGenerally speaking, you dont have as much flexibility when you start your career. Youre leise learning the ropes. Youre given a lot of direction and supervision. Youre not yet an expert in the field, and that means you probably wont have the work-life balance youre dreaming of.But as you move up the ladder, youll get more flexibility and autonomy.Your 20s are a time to work very hard. You have the most energy and the fewest responsibilities, so throw yourself into your work.Unless you started your family early, you have a lot of freedom in your 20s. Capitalize on that by giving it your all. I promise you, all that work will continue to pay off for decades. Create a vision of the balance youre going to need in the future, and work to make that happen for your future self.That takes care of the future, but what if you need help finding some balance right now?Optimize your dayEach day presents its own unique challenges and opportunities, but you have to find ways to make your day more efficient and productive if you want to leave work at work.Personally, Im a morning person. Its when I have the most energy and my mind feels sharpest. But not everyone works that way. I was talking with one of our sci entists, and shes just the opposite.She spends the hour before she leaves work preparing everything she needs for the next day. Calculations, spreadsheets, experiments- she puts it all in place because shes drowsy when she comes to work in the morning. She gets everything ready so all she has to do is look at her notes from the night before when she arrives the next morning. And by the afternoon, shes completely awake and alert. Thats her best time.This means knowing yourself well and optimizing your day to take advantage of it.Most of us struggle to find a balance between our jobs and our personal lives at some point in our career. Finding that balance takes time. So, remember to think about your future self and do what you can right now to ensure you have the balance you want later on.Praveen Tipirneni is president and CEO ofMorphic Therapeutic Inc.This column first appeared at Quora.