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Complete discipline to an exercise routine has been key to helping PCB designer and business owner Zach Peterson relieve stress. Though running a company leaves little room to completely disconnect, he protects evenings and weekends for his family. His advice: Treat your health, relationships, and personal time as essential investments, not afterthoughts.
Zach, as a PCB designer, how do you balance the demands of your job with your personal life? Is there a friction, and how do you resolve it?
I would give myself a 6/10 on work-life balance, and it’s been an ongoing challenge. Part of this comes from the fact that I run my own company, so I have to be the Chief Everything Officer. That means that anything that comes up is ultimately my responsibility, and that bleeds into what little personal time I have. The other reason this is a challenge is that I love what I do. I’m perpetually thankful that I get to work in this industry.
Post-academia, when I first started working in industry, I never took time off. I felt like I was constantly in an emergency, which was largely because all my work was essentially gig work. I was working until 4 a.m. every day and never took time off. For a long time, my self-imposed work schedule created a lot of friction in my personal relationship, especially with my wife.
Now that I have one child and another on the way, the pendulum has swung more toward “life”, and family responsibilities have taken priority on certain days and times. This has meant I’ve needed to set aside very specific time blocks for family when my wife and I are not working.
That sounds like it was quite a strain. As a business owner, how do you determine your work schedule now?
Technically, I make my own hours and work location. Family commitments keep me at home part of the week, and work commitments keep me in the office/lab the rest of the week. I can take time away for my family commitments or personal errands, but outside of that, any time might turn into work time. There are not a lot of opportunities to tune out completely because of the number and diversity of projects we work on.
To continue reading this article, which originally appeared in the December 2025 edition of Design007 Magazine, click here.
