Maintaining a work/life balance is easy when you’re a small business owner, right? You typically work from home and you have no one else to answer to, so it should be easy to switch off. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. In fact, many home-based small business owners struggle with a healthy work/life balance because the lines are more blurred. I know first hand how difficult it can be to strive to get that balance, here are some top tips to achieving and maintaining a healthy work/life balance.
Know your values
Spend some time thinking about what is important to you in life. How much time do you actually spend the most important priorities?
Prioritise your time
Diaries, calendars, apps and to-do lists are all useful strategies. Do you have a to-do list with 50 tasks on it? If you do, work through your to-do-list with the most urgent and important being at the top of your list.
Boundaries
Have set work hours for yourself and do everything in your power to stick to them. Otherwise, before you know it, you’ll be working until midnight every night. Switch off your phone, limit your access to work emails, go internet free for a while. Learn to say no.
Do what you love
While all work can be tedious or stressful at times, if you really hate your job or if it is making your life impossible, consider changing jobs or even careers. Make time for something you love (other than work) and give it the time it deserves. It will energise and refresh you and enable you to nurture the creative thought that is essential to every business owner.
Consider your finances
Whether you work for yourself or not, it’s important to feel confident about your finances. In order to do this, you need to get some accounting software in place. Cash flow is one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses.
Consider if you need that brand new car, or if you can be happy living in a less expensive location or home. Research has shown that once our basic needs are met, a higher income does not lead to happiness. Spending less money could mean fewer work hours and more time for the things that matter most.
Downtime
Remember to take time out throughout your day. Ensure you give yourself a lunch break every day, try and get up and take a walk or stretch, exercise has proven benefits for reducing stress, anxiety and depression, this will also help you become clearer, more focused and more productive.
It is so important to take a break and some time for you, schedule a regular time each week for you, read a book, do nothing or do an activity you enjoy.
Kommentare