7 TIPS FOR BETTER WORK/LIFE BALANCE
Ever hear someone talk about the importance of work/life balance and want to laugh? Easier said than done, huh?
When you’re starting and building a business, it’s hard. It’s really hard. No matter how many tips for a better work/life balance you read or hear, it generally goes in one ear and out the other. Why? Because you’re building a business. It takes long hours and a lot of hard work. Your livelihood and reputation are on the line. You may even have partners or investors to answer to.
Even though you must work hard and work long hours, especially when you’re starting and building your business, the stress that results and the long hours can jeopardize your health, your relationships and your happiness. It’s hard to juggle everything. Nobody can deny that.
Looking back over the last 14 years from when I started my business to now, I honestly wish I would have realized how important it really is to find a balance. Stress can negatively affect your health, as can lack of exercise and social time.
So, here’s 7 tips for better work/life balance that I hope will help you:
1. Learn healthy ways to cope with stress.
Knowing the best way to handle stress will help you when you do have those inevitable stressful encounters
You cannot avoid stress. It’s going to happen. Knowing the best way to handle it will help you when you do have those inevitable stressful encounters. Often just getting a bit of fresh air will help such as a quick walk around the block. Or simply just removing yourself from the area that you encounter the stress will help. If you’re at your desk, get up and walk around. Also, take deep breaths. If someone is demanding an answer but doesn’t really need one immediately, let them know you want to provide the best possible answer/solution/reply so you need to give it some thought.
2. Don’t try to be perfect.
No reasonable person expects you to be perfect. They expect you to be considerate, professional, provide good service, etc. Learn from your mistakes. Don’t worry about the little typos. Laugh at yourself. Remember, you’re human!
3. Unplug.
This is hard to do, especially considering current technology makes it easy for us to be connected to email, social media, and other systems 24/7. Have you ever been to a restaurant and witnessed a family sitting at a table and the adults are the ones on their smartphones during the entire meal? It’s sad. Don’t be that person. Set rules for yourself. Not only do your family and friends deserve better but you and your eyes need a break from the screen. Maybe on days off, decide to only check email 3 times a day. During meals, don’t bring your phone to the table. Sure, there will be times when you’re waiting for a very important call or dealing with an unexpected crisis. Those times should be the exceptions.
4. Limit time suckers.
One of the largest time suckers may be your own lack of planning. Utilize some type of planner or a simple to-do list.
Oh goodness, time suckers are everywhere. They come in many forms – chatting customers, chatting vendors, unproductive meetings, the internet, telemarketers, interruptions. Identify what may be wasting your time and find ways to limit their impact. If you get too many telemarketing calls, let calls go to voicemail if you can and only respond to the important calls. Or, utilize caller id and if you notice that a telemarketer is calling, let the call go to voicemail. Set up specific times to check and respond to emails rather than doing it on a whim. Ask vendors to schedule appointments and let them know that you have a time limit. Politely excuse yourself from customers that want to talk too much.
One of the largest time suckers may be your own lack of planning. Utilize some type of planner or a simple to-do list. This will help you stay focused. Also, try to say no instead of yes to unnecessary activities. Business owners are generally very helpful people but it’s important to know your time limitations. If you over-commit, for example, to volunteer activities your stress, health, and business can suffer.
5. Get help.
The help can come in many forms for both your work life and home life. If you have employees, delegate things that others can do. If you don’t have employees or if they are unable to complete some of the necessary tasks, outsource it. One of the things that I outsource is payroll. I know how to do it but I don’t enjoy doing it. So, I’ve outsourced it ever since hiring my first employee. It saves me so much time. Other things that are easily outsourced are cleaning and maintenance tasks.
At home, you can save time as well. Some of the ways include pet walkers, lawn maintenance, and house cleaners. There’s even grocery delivery services and food meal preparation services.
6. Schedule social time regularly.
It’s important to connect with friends and family. I’m sure you agree. But often it’s hard to find the time. Scheduling it regularly is a great idea. Maybe you can meet with a special friend or family member on a specific day of the week or month regularly. One way to make sure you commit is to pay for the activity in advance. Sign up AND PAY for a workshop or activity in advance. Use your lunchtime to connect with friends. Join service or other civic groups that your friends belong to that meet regularly. There are many ways to make time for friends and family!
7. Exercise.
Multitask by listening to business- or motivational-related books or videos while exercising.
Your overall health and ability to focus at work will benefit if you exercise regularly. I haven’t always done this and am now, fourteen years after starting my business, playing “catch up” when it comes to exercising. Even if you just have 15 minutes to walk around the block a few times or 30 minutes to jump on an exercise bike, it will help. You may even schedule exercise time with family or friends, which will keep you more committed and will also serve as social time! And we all know how much business owners love to multi-task! Another way to make good use of your time is to multitask when you’re exercising. I love to listen to audio books or Youtube videos while walking on the treadmill or doing other exercises. I often listen to business- or motivational-related books or videos which helps me learn, get motivated and generate ideas for my business.
Each of these 7 tips could easily be the topic for its own article with more detail and ideas. But, I’m sure you get the idea and hopefully have thought of a few ways to help with your own work/life balance.
While I tend to write articles focused on business owners and managers, these tips are applicable to everyone who works long hours and is struggling to find a balance. As the saying goes, the struggle is real! Very real.
Your health, your relationships and your happiness will all benefit from committing to a better work/life balance. If you are dedicated from the conception of your business to finding this balance, you will be so much healthier, happier and your business will likely benefit as well!
Do you have a great tip that helps you? Put it in the comment section below to share and help others!
Latest posts by Sondra Kirtley (see all)
- Small Business Survival during the Pandemic - February 28, 2021
- HOW TO INCREASE SALES WITH SUGGESTIVE SELLING - February 21, 2021
- “WOW” YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH THANK YOU CARDS - February 15, 2021
Amazingly, the biggest time sucker I know of is…..and this is difficult for me to say out loud….but, it’s television viewing. As a rule, I just don’t. I normally have my laptop on my lap while “listening” to television. That way, I can continue to work on service organization work at the same time. But, to just sit down and watch television for hours on end is excruciating for me. And….of course…..I work in the TV business….Sheesh.