Yes, work/life balance is a myth. It's not even biblical. Ecclesiastes doesn't say, “a time to do it all at once, in perfect proportion and balance.” No, it says, “To everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn…”

Or something like that.

The point is that it's not just a harmless myth; it's a lie. And listen to me, salespeople, it's killing our families and our businesses.

Have you noticed that as we try to do it all, we end up doing it all wrong? There's nothing worse than missing your kid's ballgame and your quota. But we do it every day. And the guilt and stress have had a good run, but, just like “Jersey Shore,” it's time for it to end.

So my advice is to stop talking about balance and start talking about seasons.

I live outside Nashville, Tenn., where we're surrounded by farms.It dawned on me the other day that you would never ask a farmer to go to Disney World on spring break because he only has a limited window to plant. 

The more I thought about my neighbors, the more I realized the application to you and me. The farmer is so productive in the spring because he has to be. It's his top priority. His family doesn't get upset about the long hours because they understand it's spring. They know if they don't plant in the spring, they don't eat in the fall. They also know there will be time to play after the work is done.

Since you and I don't work in a field, we need to create an artificial spring. Maybe your spring is one month each quarter. Maybe it's the first week of each month. During that time, prospecting and generating sales is your top priority.

Remember, though, that spring is only one season. It doesn't last all year. When you have success, the temptation is to extend your springtime activity. But that only puts you right back where you started, and the stress saps your productivity.

Talk about value-added service. I just saved you thousands of dollars and a weekend of your life trying to find your balance. Forget the balance and turn, turn, turn…