Tips From The Inside : Maintaining A Healthy Work Life Balance
JESS KANGALEE : GOOD ENERGY PR - FOUNDER
Advice: Maintaining Boundaries On Your Time
It is very easy to get sucked into your inbox and end up constantly working with no “switch off”, but long term this builds incredibly unhealthy habits and expectations. It’s important to remind yourself that you do not need to be working or available 24 hours a day, and that having respite from work is equally important to ensure you can be fully present when working. In practice, this is easier to do when you run your own company or are self employed as you can design your own schedule. Working for a company means you have an imposed schedule which generally isn't as flexible, but in either instance it's important to maintain a degree of flexibility (it is music after all), whilst also prioritising solid rest time.
Practice: Meditation
I usually meditate 3-5 times a day, it could be a sit down meditation, a walking meditation or a movement meditation but whichever way I do this, it's important for me to maintain this practice as it improves my functionality, helps me to process complex situations, figure out solutions and organise my thoughts.
KATE GOODRUM:UK SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER - DICE
Commit To A Regular Exercise Schedule
It brings me so much joy to do a job I genuinely love, but this means that it can be hard to switch off from work as I feel emotionally invested. The most beneficial thing that I have done for my mental health has been to commit to a regular exercise schedule. I am a member of a boxing gym and try to take a class most days before work - carving out an hour for myself where I don't think about the day ahead has been invaluable. It's also healthy to socialise with some people who work outside of the industry!
Take Regular Time Off Throughout The Year
I also recommend taking regular time off throughout the year. Previously I would save all my vacation for the summer festival season, or avoid taking annual leave when work was busy (it's always busy). This year I've been conscious to take time off more regularly throughout the year to avoid burning out.
SUZY GREEN:
MUSIC INDUSTRY PSYCHOTHERAPIST, TPi TOUR MANAGER OF THE YEAR 2026, FOUNDER, THE BACK LOUNGE PEER COMMUNITY
Stay Connected
Touring and festival runs can mean long periods away from family, friends and your usual support network, so staying connected really matters. Keep in touch with the people who ground you, and look for connection within your work family too. A quick check-in, a conversation, or looking out for someone else can make a huge difference, not only to them, but to you as well.
Take Care of the Basics
Good wellbeing starts with the fundamentals. Prioritise sleep whenever you can, because fatigue catches up quickly and affects everything. Stay hydrated, eat regularly, and keep snacks handy, especially if you have specific dietary needs. Make time for fresh air and daylight each day - even a short walk or a few minutes outside the venue can reset your energy and have a real impact on your stress levels and mood.
JOE GRANT : PROMOTER, FORM
It’s Not That Deep
The music industry demands a lot of people but it’s important to remember that, despite how some may make it seem, what we do is not life or death*. People make mistakes, things get missed, it happens to everyone and it happens a lot. Something that has become easier for me over time is to remind myself that it’s never that deep. Step away when you need to, take breather, speak to a friend, touch grass etc. Even when you’re buried and things feel like they’re moving at one hundred miles an hour, taking a moment for yourself can make a world of difference.
* unless you work in production :)
Set Boundaries
Boundary setting is important, but for many people it doesn’t come naturally. Now, this can relate to many things but the common example is probably TIME. This industry guzzles time. It has a unique way of making you feel as though you’re falling behind or missing out on opportunites if you’re not omnipresent. It takes some effort, but being strict with your own time and making the most of the moments you are present is far more important than running yourself into the ground. It’s so, so easy to burnout but often far more difficult to recognise when it has actually happened.
SOFIA LOPES : SOUND ENGINEER
Try to have a good chunk of the day with as little sound stimulus as possible
I think because our lives are literally involved in sound it is important as interpreters and analysers to have a chunk of the day where we don't overload the sensory systems with information that we are used to deeply focus on, especially in this day and age with AI and socials and noise pollution. I think its important to distance ourselves from sound so we can rest those muscles and brain.
Try to have a good healthy routine.
I always try to have sports, healthy food and friends around for coffees or dinners as part of my routine and for me that's negotiable. I feel it helps me to exteriorise and build foundations to focus deeply and expand perspectives. Swimming or diving is my go too because it submerges me into a different world of sound.
In a nutshell I think its important to always have something you do for at least four hours a day that is just for you and your routine. Something that makes you also happy and that is not your job. Whether its cooking, being with friends, sports.. whatever rocks your boat