Q: How do you achieve balance in your life?
A: You have to know what you value, then be smart about working for those things - and be careful not to get distracted chasing other things that you value less. While I value being compensated financially, the ability to pay my mortgage, I also value things like flexibility and time with my family. My husband Reza and I have designed our work as carefully as we can, so that we get paid in the currencies that are important to us.
There's not always a clear division between "work" and "life" - our time is often blended and blurry. But we maximize what we care about most: togetherness. Sometimes that means we work at odd times, or on Saturdays. So we don't have traditional weekends per se, but that also means on a Wednesday morning, we can decide to shift things and have weekend brunch.
Reza and I actually did an interview about how we make it work. A helpful section from that:
"Both of us have incredible flexibility," Jackley tells Business Insider. "We get to be together a lot, not just with each other, but with our kids. Even if we're tucked into the office for a quick call and someone falls and needs mama or dada, we're right there."
This is made possible by a few things. First, they can afford to have help. Beatriz, a nanny, spends about 30 hours a week with the family, including travel. They also eat breakfast with the twins every day, providing family time first thing in the morning.
Jackley and Aslan both do lots of speaking and have the same speaking agency, so they book talks strategically. For example, last year they each had lectures in Las Vegas and Miami within 24 hours of each other, so they made the trips as a family.
The couple also has a shared calendar, and they're not afraid of moving one another's appointments. And perhaps most importantly, the two of them escape for a retreat at the end of each year, where they can dream about their individual and shared goals.
Know what matters most to you. Prioritize those things, and be bold in asking for those things in your work, your relationships, and all other aspects of your life.