I’ve been working on stories and pictures and news projects every day for the last week, and tomorrow I get up at 6 a.m. to go to the Berlin Police Department to cover the police log. I wonder if journalists anywhere consider it just a job.

I love this, but anyone who knows me knows I often have a hard time balancing the things I love. I have burned out of a number of jobs, from working as an EMT to ski patrol to climbing (not really a job). My wife and I have both been going all out lately, and we’ve felt the effects.

She works with nonprofits, another field it is easy to burn out on. She has been thinking, “what is the next step,” while I’ve been diving headlong into mine. I’m working every day at least a few hours and she’s bored with the lack of diversity in her work. It seems sometimes it is all or nothing.

Tomorrow is one more day at the office, but I think in order to maintain an adequate level of enthusiasm for such a demanding job it’s important to take some days off. Saturday I drove to Gorham at 7 p.m. to shoot a few photos and get a story about high school students sleeping in boxes. Maybe that was the one I should have passed on to create the right amount of separation between my life and my work. Although on a week shortened by a holiday that might be easier said than done.

Passion for work and passion for life: two things I’ve never been great at balancing. What do other people do to keep themselves afloat? Both my wife and I could use some suggestions.