An entrepreneur’s guide to work-life balance

For entrepreneurs, there is a vital need to find equilibrium between a demanding career and a meaningful personal life. It’s important to understand that balance doesn’t necessarily demand a 50/50 split. To be successful in both arenas doesn’t require equal hours at home and in the office, it means you have found a rhythm that fulfills both sides. Therefore, there’s no perfect equation; it looks different for everyone.

Below are a few tips to help you achieve balance in your work-life rhythm.

Schedule everything … yes, everything

Every entrepreneur knows that time is a valuable currency. It’s why work days are scheduled down to the minute — they’re full of things you can’t forget. So why not take that same approach to your personal life? It may feel strange to block out “time with family” on your calendar, but if it’s a priority to you, treat it like one. Set-up recurring times in your schedule for things like exercise, monthly lunch with your mom, and date night. If it works in your business life, give it a try in your personal life.

Learn to say “no”

It’s easy to say yes to every opportunity, client, and task— big or small— that comes your way. However, it can be hard, even terrifying, to say no. But if you want to keep your head above water, saying no is a vital skill. Professionally it’s important to know what you can feasibly handle without stretching yourself too thin. In your personal life, it’s sometimes even more difficult to bow out of social engagements you would love to attend. Learning how and when to say no will give you space to say “yes” to the things that are really important to you.

Use technology to your advantage

Even though you’re an extremely busy entrepreneur, the mundane tasks of life still need to get done. For example, you still have to do laundry, buy groceries, and even make your bed. To make the best use of your time, take advantage of apps and services that can help you out.

• Laundry cleaning and delivery services
• Grocery delivery services like Instacart or Amazon Fresh
• Hire help for everyday tasks with apps like Task Rabbit or Thumbtack

Find your stress relievers

When running a business, especially a start-up, one of the greatest challenges is simply learning how to manage all of the stress. Managing stress effectively is one of the most important skills any person can learn. First you need to identify how you relieve stress, then you must be committed to actually doing it when you’re about to pull your hair out. Here are some common stress release techniques:

• Exercise
• Journal writing
• Talk therapy
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Taking a walk

Be present

Multi-tasking is really inefficient. Only a computer can do two tasks at once — and do them both well. Instead, try being present in your meetings, give your child your full attention when they tell you about their day, resist the urge to answer emails while you’re having dinner. If you handle one task at a time, you’ll be more focused and productive, and the quality of your work and relationships are bound to improve.

What to remember

Finding a solid work-life rhythm is a process. It’s inevitable that you’ll make some mistakes along the way. However, it’s important to learn and grow from these mistakes, so you can make the changes necessary to ensure that you, your business, and your relationships thrive in the future.

More information

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