10 essential books to help creatives master work-life balance

Work-life balance often feels like a far-off, unachievable goal if you work in the creative industries. The constant pressure to meet deadlines, the incessant demands of clients, and the unending need to come up with fresh ideas can make it seem like you're constantly playing catch-up and that you'll never truly be able to relax.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

This week is National Work Life Week 2024, and the perfect opportunity to reflect on how we manage our time, creativity, and mental health.

Elsewhere on Creative Boom, we've shared our top tips for achieving work-life balance. Here, we've compiled a list of books with actionable strategies for balancing work with life, building healthier routines, and staying focused on what really matters.

From cultivating deeper focus to overcoming creative block, these books will help you not just survive but thrive in your career.

1. Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

Do you find it difficult to switch off after work? In this book, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, a Silicon Valley consultant, addresses common issues such as feeling exhausted after work, being unable to disconnect during vacations, and working through lunch breaks. And he contends that these habits don't just suck, but they're detrimental to our well-being and productivity too.

In other words, when we rest better, we work better. And the benefits of proper rest extend beyond improved work performance; they include enhanced decision-making, better relationships, increased happiness, and heightened creativity.

So what's the answer? The book offers various practical strategies for incorporating effective rest into daily life. By following them, you'll find more time for hobbies, strengthen relationships, and enhance your overall sleep quality.

2. The Creative's Guide to Starting a Business by Harriet Kelsall

Starting a creative business can be scary, so here's a manual to follow. Author Harriet Kelsall, an award-winning jewellery designer, shares practical steps to help you balance your creativity with entrepreneurship.

It's particularly tailored for product-based creative businesses and offers a balanced mix of stories, examples and practical worksheets. By the end, you should have a clear understanding of your current position, potential opportunities, and how to make informed choices for your business.

The book breaks down the complex process of starting a business into manageable steps, covering essential topics such as creating product ideas, identifying markets, reaching customers, pricing, testing, and marketing. Harriet's approach is refreshingly straightforward, emphasising that while starting a business is challenging, it is entirely achievable.

3.The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

Lacking focus and struggling to get things done? This book's main idea is that we should manage our energy, rather than time, to achieve the best results.

Jim Loehr is co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, and Tony Schwartz is the founder and president of The Energy Project, a consulting group that works with a number of Fortune 500 companies. Together, they outline four key sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. And they emphasise the importance of balancing energy expenditure with renewal and creating specific rituals for energy management.

The book offers practical strategies and a step-by-step program to help us all implement these principles in our daily lives. As a result, we can become fully engaged, professionally and personally, and enjoy better performance, health and life balance.

4. Atomic Habits by James Clear

This book, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, focuses on the power of small, incremental behavioural changes to achieve remarkable results. The author argues that the key to personal transformation lies not in setting ambitious goals but in developing better habits through tiny, consistent adjustments.

The book goes on to provide actionable strategies to improve your productivity without overwhelming your schedule. It introduces several key concepts, including Habit Stacking (linking a new habit to an existing one to make it easier to implement), the Two-Minute Rule (scaling down habits to make them so easy that you can't say no), and the Goldilocks Zone (finding the sweet spot where habits are challenging enough to be interesting but not so hard that they become discouraging).

Clear draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to explain why these strategies work. He illustrates his points with inspiring stories of successful individuals from various fields who have used these principles to achieve their goals.

5. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

Battling procrastination and self-doubt? This book can help. Its central aim is to answer the question: "What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do; why is there a naysayer within?"

Its central premise is that an internal force, which the author calls 'resistance', hinders our creative efforts and prevents us from achieving our full potential. Resistance is a universal force that manifests in various forms, such as procrastination, self-doubt, fear, and rationalisation. The author provides strategies for recognising and overcoming the internal and external barriers that impede creative progress.

While acknowledging the importance of inspiration, the book stresses that consistent work and dedication are crucial for creative success. It encourages readers to confront their fears and self-imposed limitations, offering a battle plan for creative success that anyone can follow.

6. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Do you feel like there's never time to get anything done? In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport argues that it's not a question of time; it's a question of focus.

His book lays out strategies for getting meaningful work done by minimising distractions. He believes the ability to focus deeply is a rare and valuable skill in today's constantly distracting world. However, by following four key rules to cultivate this skill, you can achieve something he calls "deep work habits".

Fellow author Daniel H. Pink is a fan of the book and says: "Think of it as callisthenics for your mind, and start your exercise program today."

7. Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

Are you overwhelmed by all the things you have to do and feeling like you can't cope? This book provides a four-step framework to help you make more time for what matters most. It's filled with practical strategies and advice for cutting through distractions.

The authors, known for their work on design sprints at Google Ventures, argue that the key isn't working harder but working smarter. They propose a four-step daily framework to help you reclaim control of your time and attention.

This framework is designed to be adaptable, offering a variety of strategies you can mix and match to fit your individual needs. It's not about drastic lifestyle changes but rather small adjustments that can free you from distractions and busyness.

8. Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind by Jocelyn K. Glei (Editor)

Are you failing to achieve your goals and can't see a way forward? This book is a collection of essays by thought leaders like Seth Godin and Cal Newport on managing your time and creativity.

Instead of just churning through tasks, the book equips you with tools to build a strong daily routine, sharpen your focus, and manage distractions. You'll learn strategies for prioritising your workload, harnessing technology effectively, and fostering creativity in a busy schedule.

By incorporating the wisdom of these experts, Manage Your Day-To-Day promises to help you shift from feeling stretched thin to accomplishing your most important work.

9. Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco

This is a practical guide for creatives navigating the business side of freelancing. It covers setting boundaries, handling contracts, and managing work-life balance when you're your own boss.

Drawing on the author's own experience as a successful freelance designer, the book offers strategies for building a strong business foundation. This includes creating a standout portfolio, navigating legal hurdles, and developing essential skills like marketing and client communication.

Given the high failure rate of small businesses, Creative Inc. emphasises planning and avoiding common pitfalls. It's aimed firmly at a generation seeking creative freedom, whether recent graduates or those yearning for an escape from the traditional work environment.

10. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

This book tackles the feeling of being overwhelmed and unproductive in our busy world. It argues against the notion of 'having it all' and instead promotes a disciplined approach focused on 'the right thing, in the right way, at the right time'.

This concept is described as 'Essentialism' and basically involves making clear choices about what truly matters and eliminating the non-essentials. This allows you to regain control of your time and energy, directing them towards activities that make the biggest impact.

Drawing on his experience with leaders of innovative companies, the author provides practical strategies for implementing Essentialism in one's own life. By following these steps, one can achieve greater productivity and fulfillment by focusing on what's truly essential.