Reflection: The young CEO of a manufacturing company had a reputation for keeping long hours and working endless weekends, until…a brand new baby entered his world.

In short order, he found creative ways to get most of his work done during regular business hours and to claim his evenings and weekends for family.

A long time public servant found herself at her desk late into the evenings, struggling to find time for exercise and companionship, until…she brought an energetic young puppy into her home.

Now she had a compelling reason to leave work at 5:00. If she didn’t, she’d arrive home to unhappy accidents and a house in shambles. Most key tasks at work were accomplished during regular work hours. Turns out it had been her need to feel completely caught up at the end of every day that had kept her chained to her desk.

For years, a career homemaker spent all her time tidying, cleaning, cooking, and managing family affairs, until…she connected to a volunteer cause she cared deeply about.

She cut back to a lesser standard of home care and freed time and energy to devote to her new-found passion.

Action: It’s easy to feel locked in to certain ways of doing things and believe wholeheartedly that’s the way things HAVE to be.

It’s only when you introduce a more compelling purpose – a ‘go to’ motivator – something you want more than what you have now – that you find more creative ways to restructure your days.

What ‘go to’ motivators might help you devote more time and energy to things that add great joy and value to your world?

Quotes Of The Week: If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. – Jenniffer Lee

Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way. – Les Brown

Resource Of The Week: You’ll find some helpful reminders from Entrepreneur in this article by Craig Cincotta: 5 Secrets to Achieving & Maintaining Work-Life Balance.

Check out this helpful Forbes article by Deborah Jian Lee: 6 Tips For Better Work-Life Balance.

Readers Write: In response to the recent message, Are You Harvesting Your Life, Pause reader VC lifted my spirits with these comments: I just wanted to touch base to let you know how much I enjoy receiving your Pause newsletter emails. You have a knack for focusing on topics that are currently relevant to me, and I have subscribed to some additional inspiring e-newsletters as a result of your recommendations. Thank you for making my inbox a happy place!