“There’s no such thing as work-life balance, but there are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.” Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.

When I had the blog up and running earlier in the week, I was in full resolve to put more effort in writing on my own in addition to my 9am-to-5pm job. I even took out the correspondence course pack I has subscribed to in 2009 (I went as far as submitting the first assignment and worked half way through the second one). I was determined to continue where I left off.

It wasn't as much about making extra money than pushing myself to reach my full potential - I know I have it in me to write.

But what do I know? Coinciding my new resolve is a big month at work. We have our annual results-oriented monitoring (ROM) coming up in October and project partners are visiting from overseas. There are reports to complete, visits to arrange, and on top of these new tasks - our day-to-day project management activities.

Even though I would have preferred to glue myself to desk to finish my outstanding tasks, there are times when we have to fulfill casual business invitations - which means a couple of hours of business (or empty) chats over coffee. Even though I would have liked to be left alone to finish the jobs assigned to me, there are times when I have to invest my time in training new staffs and managing my superiors. Ad hoc tasks crop up, and I'm responsible to see them through.

We are in the services industry, and our business is about people, people and people.

When I thought I could go to work during the day and be back at home by 7 pm every day to continue with my writing in the evening, and how it's going to be my daily routine - I was deeply mistaken.

There are days when we ended our meeting at 8.30 pm and I wasn't home until 9. Even when I reached home at 7.30, I would be too tired I basically crawled through bath, heating up dinner and reading a few pages of my book of the month before I drifted off to sleep - laden with nightmares about our impending conferences.

Most days the only people I talked to are people at work, and when I go home there is nothing I crave more than quietness and time on my own.

Even though I love my work, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world right now (except an offer to work with elephants in Africa or orang utan in Sabah) - but still I wonder, how do other people do it? How do you make sure you have the best of both worlds?