How to Curb the Workaholic In You (And Create Better Work-Life Balance)
Becoming an entrepreneur is not without its difficulties.
For most of us, being a CEO is not something we were taught and so learning how to navigate this new world of owning your own business and creating a sustainable one could be a great difficulty to work through whilst also keeping up on your own personal life’s needs.
You have your own needs outside of your business and then you also have the basic needs that your life demands. A fridge that may be painfully empty right now because between back-to-back meetings, you just haven’t had a chance to make a run to the grocery. Kids that may be extra needy right now because they don’t understand why mom is glued to the computer screen for so long and friends who can’t sympathize with your business woes because they’re just not a part of that world.
So how do you balance it? How do you make sure your household is still running, relationships are still healthily fulfilled and your mental sanity still intact while you also make sure to give your business the TLC that it demands in the early stages and beyond?
Here are some things to consider.
Do What You Love
Owning a business will dominate A LOT of your time and so it’s important that you’re dedicating your time to doing something you love or else the mindset around having a work-life balance will not be a healthy one. When you do something you love and are thrilled to show up in your business, you won’t struggle with having a work life balance because it will seamlessly fit in. It will be integrated into what you do whether your laptop is open or not because it will be an aspect of your life that you LOVE being a part of. So if you’re not in love with your biz right now, step back and see what you can be doing to become in better alignment so that your family, friends and life will no longer feel as though it’s being sacrificed for something else.
Find A Good Support System
It’s true that we can’t do everything by ourselves and having a good work-life balance includes having people that support you. Whether that’s hiring on a team for your business so that you’re not inundated with tasks and having to take care of everything yourself, or speaking to those around you about helping out with the household so nothing else falls to the wayside. Maybe set up a schedule with your partner for grocery shopping or laundry days. Maybe ask a friend to have set workout days with you so that you’re able to have accountability in taking care of your body while also getting some good socializing! Get creative and realize that while you are doing AMAZING things...sometimes you’ll need help too.
Plan Out Your Time
Even loving what you do and having a good support system in place can be thwarted by not having set plans throughout your day. As a business owner, it’s so easy to get tied up in the tasks of the day or the excitement of onboarding a new client or any other business owner happy days but it’s important to plan out your days so that you know what you need to get accomplished and be able to stick to it. If you need to sign off by 5pm to get to an event, make sure you plan out your time by the hour so that at 5pm, you’ll feel sufficiently satisfied in your productivity. Stop the days where you’re staying at the computer and only look up after 10hrs have passed! Plan out your time so that you’re integrating the needs of both aspects of your life.
Turn Off
Last tip and probably the most important is knowing when to turn off and be present. Having a work-life balance means nothing if you're never present in the moment of the other. When you’re tending to the needs of your life (i.e. partner, friends, family, kids etc.) make sure you put your phone down, stash away your laptop and ground yourself in the moment. By doing this, you not only enjoy your time away more but it also creates a greater impact on those around you and makes the moments with them more meaningful. If you’re not present in the moment when you’re out with friends and family, it may make them feel even more neglected. And if you’re never able to turn off, eventually you too will begin to feel unfulfilled.
These are our tips for curving that workaholic in you and finding ways to balance work and life so that you can both enjoy your business and the life you’re living!
Do you have any workaholic confessions or tips on ways you balance work-life?
Share them below!