My mom is the hardest-working person I know. She raised me by herself and worked long hours, mainly overnight when I was either sleeping, or leaving for work when I was getting out of school.
I learned my work ethic from her for sure. But, balancing hard work with spending time with my family? Not so much. It’s been something I have had to learn on my own and continually struggle with.
Especially as an entrepreneur, i.e. a business owner free of a set schedule, finding that happy
medium between work and relaxing with those you love can be tricky most days and others next to impossible. For me, my schedule revolves around my daughter’s – that is, I do the bulk of my work while she’s either sleeping or at school. I carve out the hours in between for family time.
Particularly for new business owners or small businesses where entrepreneurs must wear many hats, a work and life balance is less easily defined. And while everyone has a different schedule, these tips might help un-blur the lines between working and dedicated time off the clock.
- Prioritize
Determine which tasks are most important and focus on them. That might mean setting aside a designated time to answer emails or schedule client appointments. I prefer prioritizing over so-called multi-tasking. I am most effective when I pour all of my attention into one thing at a time. Allowing myself to be interrupted with other tasks has, in some cases, caused me to feel overwhelmed, or resulted in accomplishing several things, but not at my optimal abilities.
- Stay in the moment
Once you’ve committed to working or relaxing, stick to it. Don’t allow home life to interrupt your work or, by the same token, allow business phone calls or client emails to creep into your time off. In a day where everyone is reachable instantaneously by cell phone, social media and email, this can be easier said than done. However, I can say from experience that not allowing yourself the ability to unplug will leave you with the exhausting feeling of working non-stop.
- Delegate
It’s taken time, but I have come to learn that you can’t be all things to all people. Meaning, you simply can’t – and shouldn’t – do it all. That might mean hiring a book-keeper or an accountant to take care of your billing or seeking outside help for your company’s marketing and publicity efforts. Parceling out the tasks you do not enjoy or do not have time for will allow you to increase your effectiveness with the work that matters most.
When used together, these tips can help create a routine, or at least shed light on a new way of balancing work and home life.
Tell me: What works for you? Please share which work-life balance tips are most effective for you and your business. For more publicity and marketing insight for your business or organization, join the Katalinas Communications email list here.
