What are realistic ways to maintain a work-life balance during your first year?
Work-Life-Balance in investment banking
Maintaining work-life balance in IB is tough, but not impossible. From my internship, I learned that setting small boundaries is key. For example, I tried to carve out at least 30-60 minutes (sounds like not a lot, but keeping it up everyday is not easy) a day for myself, whether it was to eat properly, go for a walk, or just disconnect from screens. It’s also about efficiency: stay organized, prioritize tasks, and don’t be afraid to ask your team for clarity or help. That said, some weeks will just be brutal, so it’s important to accept that and focus on recharging when things slow down a bit. Finally, I found that staying in touch with friends or family, even briefly, helped me stay grounded.
But obvs only did a 3 month internship so full-time might differ. Hope this helps!