Lessons in Work Life Balance From Producer Heroes X Villains

Being apart of the music industry can be tough. Over the years, artists from different genres have announced battles with depression, finances, drugs, alcohol, etc. Even in the world of electronic dance music, three popular DJs/producers retired in 2016 from live performances– Avicii being the most notable. For trap music producer Heroes X Villains, also known as HxV, battling to maintain good health has been just that- a battle.

In a guest editorial for Magnetic Magazine, HxV writes about his road to sobriety and mental conflicts. In this battle though, he’s discovered some keys to staying healthy and provides some great tips that might benefit not only artists, but for us fans as well as we deal with our own personal struggles. Balancing work and life can be tough. Sometimes it might feel impossible. Despite how busy you may be, HxV says there are five ways to find a healthy balance between the two- so long as you’re willing to be proactive. They are:

1. Set hard boundaries
2. Pay attention to your energy throughout the day
3. Think of multi-tasking as a myth
4. Learn to say no
5. Exercise and meditate

Setting hard boundaries is the most important, according to HxV. In today’s world, society operates at a fast pace. Think about your life. Your commitment to friends, family, work, pets, significant others…its easy to forget about self. With the rise of technology, we can be contacted at all times. Do you sleep with a cell phone next to your bed? Yeah? If so, unplug. Turn it off. HxV says it’s important to respond to demands from others on YOUR time. By unplugging from technology an hour before you sleep, your mind will stop racing. You’ll find peace, which in-turn, leads to inner peace and a good night’s shuteye. Use your phone as an alarm? HxV recommends keeping it out of arms reach so when it does go off in the morning, you actually have to get up and walk to turn it off.

Throughout the day, eating a healthy meal, exercising, taking breaks and meditating can provide a significant impact on your life. Creating structure from wake-up to bed time is a great way to balance these acts. HxV tries to get most of his work done before noon as he is more alert in the morning. His method: dive deep into work for 90 minutes, which he calls sprints, then take 10 minute breaks in between to stretch and walk around. Diving back into these sprints can drain energy, so the recommendation is to direct that energy on toward your more important daily tasks- don’t answer phone calls, respond to emails, make paper planes…Use that energy for the heavy lifting (unless your job requires picking up the phone, responding to emails or making paper planes).

If you’re in a position where you have to multi-task, exert your energy on one task at a time. Trying to balance different things at once…that usually doesn’t end well. HxV does this by writing down what he has to get done and keeping a schedule, and set notifications, to stay focused. Organization will allow you to stay on track and focus on knocking out a series of tasks, one by one.

Lastly, HxV says it’s OK to say no! We’re taught to bounce on every opportunity that comes along, but in doing so, we tend to lose focus on what we really want in life.

“Life is short, don’t spend your time working on a bunch of projects you don’t believe in, or can’t give your best work. We all have to do things we may not LOVE to pay bills, but make sure they are balanced out with your passion projects and your passion projects take the front burner.”

Investing your time and energy into your passion projects will ultimately pay off way more than the things you did to ensure your bills are paid.

We each have our own way of finding a healthy balance between work and life, and HxV is quick to point out his ways don’t have to be an end all be all; what he does works for HIM. How do you like to balance work and life? Drop a comment below!