How do you ensure a balance between work and personal life, and what practices help you manage stress?

Nearly everyone with a full-time job can relate to the challenge of balancing their personal and professional lives. Forty (or more) hours a week can be a lot, and it isn’t always easy to turn it off outside of work, especially when times are busy. It can seem like we are always trying to catch up or stay ahead, and it can sometimes come at the expense of our personal lives.

If that sounds like a difficult thing for most people, try owning multiple restaurants that can serve several hundred people daily while being open 12 or more hours a day, seven days a week. These restaurant franchisees may also employ hundreds of workers and have multiple brands and locations spread out across several states. It is safe to say that experience can be stressful.

Franchise Update asked several multi-unit restaurant franchisees how they balance their own work-life dynamic to avoid stress and burnout. Many admit it is an ongoing challenge they face each day and must take active steps to achieve that goal. Several franchisees recommend prioritizing tasks, delegating responsibilities, spending time with family, and pursuing hobbies when away from work.

We also asked restaurant franchisees about their biggest pet peeves. We all have them. Some are quite common, while others reflect our personality, background, or standard expectations of others. Here are some of their top pet peeves, which include both personal and professional perspectives.

Chris Aslam

Company: Aslam Group LLC, Tribox LLC, West Box LLC, Best of Cluck LLC, Rock Hawaiian LLC

Brands: 64 Jack in the Box, 9 Hawaiian Brothers, 4 Golden Chick

Years in Franchising: 28

Balancing work and personal life is an ongoing challenge. This can become an addictive game that consumes your mind 24/7. The trick is to get comfortable with letting go of tasks that you don’t really need to do. For me, it was not watching the operational metrics daily and trusting my team to deliver week-to-week performance across multiple units and brands. Letting go of micromanaging helps me find a balance between personal and work life.

Shane Paul

Company: PGC Foods

Brands: 9 Jack in the Box

Years in Franchising: 7

Work-life balance is something I continue to strive for, and I’ve found a few practices that help. My wife and I have been married for 26 years, and we prioritize daily conversations to stay connected through life’s ups and downs. With my kids, I ensure I’m present for their activities, setting an example for my team by encouraging them to do the same with their families. This commitment to balance fosters loyalty and retention among my employees.

I rely heavily on planning when it comes to managing stress. I’m a firm believer in Stephen Covey’s concept of avoiding the “urgent and important” zone by staying ahead of tasks whenever possible. Planning allows me to minimize unnecessary stress and focus on what truly matters. While challenges are inevitable, having a proactive mindset helps me manage them more effectively and maintain a healthier work-life balance.

David Weeks

Brands: 9 Barberitos, 8 Dunkin’, 4 Newk’s Eatery

Years in Franchising: 21

I am so fortunate to have a family and especially a wife who understands the demands of the restaurant industry. When I opened my first restaurant, I had no work-life balance. As our business started to expand, I realized that the only way to have success is to start to delegate tasks to others. That is so much easier said than done. I now have a more than capable team around me that can run the business.

I have several sayings that I preach to my team regarding work-life balance: “Work smarter not harder,” “Delegate and empower those around us to make decisions,” and “You cannot have a life if you don’t work!”

Yousuf Nabi

Company: Gotham Cookies Inc., DBA Mrs. Fields Cookies

Brands: 12 Sbarros, 10 Mrs. Fields, two TCBYs

Years in Franchising: 5

I remind myself that the work will always be there. I don’t let stress from work cause me to pause life. Instead, I make an effort to balance both, allowing them to work in tandem. When I'm not focused on business, I prioritize spending time with family and friends, as well as enjoying my personal hobbies.

Bryce Bares

Company: QSR Services, LLC

Brands: 30 Dunkin’, one Baskin-Robbins

Years in Franchising: 13

Anybody seriously considering an entrepreneurial path needs to throw the notion of work-life balance out the window if they want success. We are constantly thinking about our businesses and solving problems, even when we're not sitting in an office at a desk.

One of the primary benefits of being an entrepreneur, however, is the freedom to allocate your time. I make sure to take time to be with my family, to travel and pursue hobbies I enjoy, and spend time with friends. I integrate work into my life rather than view it as a zero-sum proposition. However, work often creeps into the mind even when technically “out of the office,” and that's an inherent, inescapable aspect of being a business owner.

My primary job is to ensure my team has the resources and support they need, so whenever they call, I answer. I've made myself “unavailable” one time - when I went on my 15th wedding anniversary trip, but even then, I admit, I gave my team the hotel's phone number just in case.

FRANCHISEE BYTES

What is your pet peeve?

Government inefficiency. Few things test my patience more than standing in line at the post office or DMV.
-James Webb, Franchise Owner, MPUT Holdings LLC, 22 Marco's Pizza, 4 Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Time is everything to me after being raised in a military household. Being late really bothers me.
-Jerome Johnson, Multi-Unit Franchisee, John Cove Management and Jbar Inc., 4 Sonic Drive-In, 10 Dunkin’, 4 Baskin Robbins, one Jersey Mike’s Subs

When people ask, “Can I be honest with you?”
-Irfaan Lalani, CEO/Co-Founder, Vibe Restaurants, 76 Little Caesars, 60 Wingstop, 3 Whataburger

Chewing with mouth open and people eating massive meals on short flights.
-Mike James, Founder/Managing Partner, Guernsey Holdings, 122 Sonic, 20 Zaxby's, 3 Take 5 Oil Change

Aggressive business tactics. I also learned from my father to find win-win solutions. While it is important to have the ability to be shrewd, you shouldn't always feel like you have to get one over on another.
- Harsh Ghai, CEO, Ghai Management Services, 140 Burger King, 36 Taco Bell, 28 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

People who are late and events that start late.
-Bill Mathis, Franchisee, Subway and Caribou Coffee, 3 Subway, 1 Caribou Coffee with more under construction

The presence of drama can be a true team killer, undermining collaboration, creating tension, and distracting everyone from achieving their goals.
-James Brajdic, President, Customer Maniacs and Green Bay A Dub, 13 A&W Restaurants

When people don't ask questions.
-Phillip Scotton, COO, Primo Partners, 23 Ben & Jerry's, 2 Starbucks