The media often make us feel that there’s an ideal balance to be maintained: “my work-life balance is wrong” becomes another reason to beat yourself up. What matters is remembering what’s really important to you – and those close to you – and doing something about it. Start with a five-step review:

- Look at where your time goes. Companies spend thousands on time management training, but the reality is that there are only so many hours in a week.
- Don’t dwell on trivial tasks. Why do work that does not help your career and, frankly, doesn’t matter?
- Protect your “golden time”: the 20 per cent of your time that contributes to 80 per cent of your results.
- In terms of commitments to family and friends, do slightly more than you feel is enough. Employers come and go; close relationships can last a lifetime.
- Work is often addictive. That can be a good thing in the early years of your career, but it’s not a great long-term strategy. Overwork can lead to a lack of focus.

What are the symptoms that your work-life is balance going awry? Measuring time spent at the office isn’t always enough, and it isn’t easy if you also work from home. A good benchmark is to look back at all the unfulfilled promises you have made to your friends and family over the past year.

Ultimately, the key issue is honesty. We all need to recognise what we get out of work and what it takes out of us. Or, to put it another way, when you are 103 and unable to rise out of your bath chair, what will you regret? You probably won’t be saying: “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.”