How do you be a high performer while maintaining good work/life balance in PMM in B2B tech?

I’ll be honest: cracking the code for being a high performer while maintaining work-life balance in PMM—especially in B2B tech—feels like hunting for a unicorn. When you find it, do me a favor and send me the coordinates :-) PMM roles often feel like you’re juggling flaming rings while everyone around you is throwing more into the mix— sales wants a deck yesterday, product needs messaging for a Tier 1 feature launch, feature adoption is lagging and PMM is tasked with cracking the code, and marketing has another integrated campaign pitch to review. Sound familiar? 

I can offer advice based on what I try to do to balance long tail, critical business priorities, impromptu executive asks, hiring priorities, team mentoring/feedback and cross-functional relationships. Generally speaking, WLB is a complex and elusive juxtaposition that depends on the stage of your career, the function you're in, the stage of the company you work for, and other macro factors beyond our control.

The way to realize work-life integration (note I did not say balance) is a game of mastering 1. building capacity to take more on 2. maximizing flexibility and 3. being intentional & establishing boundaries - some days and weeks you get it right and some days you don’t. This is a never-ending tradeoff, and I don’t have perfect answers. But here’s my evolving set of principles that help me find my balance across my "life roles" as a PMM leader, mom/partner, friend, and mentor .. I'm a work in progress!

1. Work for the Right Company (and the Right Leader): Not all companies create the same environment. Some expect “heroics” as a baseline. If the fundamentals are off, no amount of heroism is going to save the day. Look for organizations that value sustainable productivity and have leaders who model healthy boundaries. I know, easier said than done—especially in today’s job market. When interviewing, watch for red or yellow flags like high turnover or overly chaotic structures. Ask hard questions about team culture and micromanagement. Glassdoor and Blind reviews can also be enlightening, though take them with a grain of salt. And if you find yourself in an environment where the fit is not quite there, overcome status quo bias and consider moving on to the next thing. Knowing when to persist vs when to pull the plug and having the wisdom & courage to make these assessments is key.

2. Ruthlessly Prioritize: PMM is a role where everything feels urgent, but not everything actually is. I use the 80/20 rule—spend 80% of your time on the 20% of work that drives the most significant outcomes (think launches, GTM strategy, and executive deliverables). Learn to Say No – or at least “not now.” Be transparent about trade-offs and get better at negotiating. If you're asked to do something that doesn't align with your team's priorities, explain what you'll deprioritize to take it on. I've found that while these conversations may seem hard, stakeholders respect honesty and clarity.

3. Automate and Templatize everything: Reinventing the wheel is the enemy of efficiency. I have a toolkit of “PMM ALL THE THINGS” (my Uber colleagues might chuckle reading this) of best-in-class messaging frameworks, launch plans, pitch decks and sales enablement materials - build, launch, repeat, iterate. These can save you hours of work and make cross-functional asks less daunting. In addition, use platforms like Notion, Asana, or Airtable to track deliverables, manage priorities, and automate workflows. A solid process cuts down on the chaos.
   

4. Lean Into Cross-Functional Partnerships: You don’t have to do everything alone. Delegate to teammates or lean on your cross-functional counterparts. Collaborate with sales enablement for decks, demand gen for campaign narratives, and product managers for technical insights. Build trust through collaboration and a strong reputation for delivering high-quality work on time and this will mean that stakeholders will trust you and be more patient when you need breathing room. Clarify expectations early, and get aligned on what’s needed and by when, vagueness leads to scope creep, and scope creep eats time.
   

5. Say No to perfectionism: You can’t be a high performer if you’re running on fumes. PMM is often about iteration. Launch MVPs in your work and refine them as you go. Done is better than perfect when deadlines loom. Step away during the day to recharge. Even a 15-minute walk can reset your focus. And when you’re off the clock, be off the clock (ha!). High performance isn’t about being busy—it’s about delivering value. If you’re producing high-impact work, you don’t need to put in 70 hours a week. Focus on being a strategic thinker who solves problems, rather than just an executor ticking off tasks.

6. Observe markers of burnout: I've gotten better at noticing the signs of burnout in myself over time, especially when I fall into a rut. I've observed this with folks on my team as well, it typically begins with feeling irritable or disengaged, which gradually snowballs into full-blown exhaustion and a nagging urge to move on—even if the job may be a good fit. What I realized is for me, it isn't about the hours I’m clocking but more about the balance between what I’m putting in and what I’m getting back. When I’m busy but feel a strong sense of progress, growth, or momentum, burnout rarely happens. The problem arises when I feel stuck—investing time and energy but not seeing meaningful returns in terms of momentum or fulfillment. What’s been helpful is taking quick, small actions to shift gears before I spiral further and shifting my perspective on things. These changes, no matter how minor, create an upward cycle that help restore energy and motivation instead of letting things slide downhill.

High performance isn’t about being busy—it’s about delivering value. If you can prioritize, set boundaries, and stay attuned to your energy levels, you can thrive (in PMM or any demanding function) without burning out. And when all else fails, remember this: the flaming rings can wait. Quoting Dory from Finding Nemo, sometimes you gotta just keep swimming.

(Oh, and when you figure out how to achieve true balance? Seriously, call me!)