3 Ways to work towards work-life balance as an entrepreneur.
Work-life balance, this elusive thing we are constantly chasing. I don’t know about you, but the word “balance” constantly makes me feel like I have to make a trade-off, or equally divide my day into half life and half work, which sounds quite impossible. I love solving problems holistically, start with the wide picture and then zero in! This is no different. In the process of trying to figure out how to achieve this mythical work-life balance, I found that it is better to aim for what I love to call, work-life harmony.
This is my way to look at my life and work as one. I know that the path of entrepreneurship is filled with opportunities that allow me to find ways to make the two (work and life) function together. And that’s all without having one take away from the other, as you’ll often hear people talk about. As someone who has put so much effort into finding this elusive balance everyone wants, I now know that harmony, not balance, actually is most aligned with me. I share today in hopes that it helps you too.
I am not here to tell you the right way to build work-life harmony, your life is uniquely yours and so, you’ll have to find what works best for you. I truly do hope it makes you think about these three key areas that we can work on to get that little bit closer to a life of true work-life harmony.
1. Find flexibility
Let’s be honest, the 8-8-8 model is too strict, and we entrepreneurs know this. In theory, working 8 hours, sleeping another 8, and dedicating 8 more hours to family time sounds GREAT but, sometimes, we work more, sleep less and me-time time ends up being hard to come by. I’m sure you and I are similar in that we wish for there to be more hours in the day so we could check off more from our to-do lists, and feel free to go out for some ice cream with our kids without worry or guilt. I find I am always striving to organize myself better so that just maybe I can get a little closer to this balance or, as I like to call it now, harmony.
I feel you, we are entrepreneurs, we are constantly navigating between the pressure to hustle in our business and the pull from our family to slow down and enjoy them. This is why I encourage you to be flexible with yourself and your time.
Some days, you just need to hunker down and get that client project wrapped up because you have a hard deadline breathing down your neck. It makes perfect sense then, that this means we’ll work extra hours to make sure that the project is completed in time, making you have to cut back on sleep and perhaps fun time with the fam.
I work well in waves, heavier times on the work side, and calmer months in between. However, others work well with the same level of output year-round. You have to find your best way of working and showing up!
Sometimes you’ll cut the day early even though there’s still so much to do and you’ll feel the guilt creep in about not working hard enough.
Let’s nip that at the bud, shall we?
Why should you feel guilty when you decide to go grab a cup of coffee with a friend after completing 34 out of 35 items on your to-do list? You do not have to do everything right away! Remember, you are an entrepreneur, you chose this life because, at the end of the day, something many of us crave is TIME-FREEDOM. The opportunity to choose how you spend your time and you should be allowed to celebrate yourself— ALWAYS.
Doing what you need in your personal life to feel healthy and cared for will positively reflect in how you show up in your business, and vice versa, that is what this harmony thing is all about!
Prioritize your time as you see best and do what works for you! Tip: Make some time for spontaneity in work AND life! Work from a new location, take a day trip with your small but growing team, pull the kids out of school and go to the arcade. We forget sometimes that life is supposed to be FUN!
2. Exercise, Meditate and Disconnect
As entrepreneurs, time seems to fly by in the midst of emails, product launches, client consultations and more, which can make our mindfulness slip a little from our grasp. Let’s make sure to not only find free time to spend with our family and friends, but also to make time to spend with ourselves, and one of the best ways I love to get some “me time” is to do some exercise.
Okay, when I say exercise, I am not asking you to break a sweat and hit a full session of cardio. If you do, that’s GREAT, and if you don’t and opt for going for a 5 min walk, or dance a little like no one’s watching, that is also AMAZING.
Never forget, YOU define what balance or harmony is for your business and for yourself, not the other way around.
For example, in my case, I find that getting up, leaving work aside for a bit and moving my body, whether it is by playing some Supernatural with my VR headset (nerdy, I know, and I love it) or doing 1 minute planks during my Pomodoro breaks, is just what I need to get the creativity and focus running back into my system. Other times, perhaps in those typically hectic days we all have every now and then, I choose to meditate to find clarity and stability. I take deep breaths and long exhales to connect back to the core of my business, to remind myself of the value that I know I am bringing to my community for all the work I do. For all the work that YOU do! You are a rockstar, and taking the time to sit down and have an inner talk with yourself will refuel that truth and purpose within you.
Also, when you do find time to spend with your family, friends, and yourself (because you are just as important!), try to unplug from technology as much as you can. Try to not peek at your emails too much; turn off your notifications even if it is just for a while, they will be there when you are back, I promise. Having time away from your laptop will allow you to enjoy your own time better.
Again, it is all about harmony, work and life coexisting together, spontaneously flowing the way it must on that given day. Try to not interrupt it.
3. Keep In Touch With Friends and Family
Before you became an entrepreneur, you had other titles that you answered to mother, daughter, wife. I know that before you started your business and became a total powerhouse at that, you were devoted to your special people, the ones who always made you laugh and feel at home.
We know that social interaction is vital to our mental health. Isolation can be hard and not one person enjoys the feeling of loneliness that often creeps up in the entrepreneurship journey. It’s suddenly harder to connect with family and friends because the deeper you go, the less they understand, the less they can help and the more lonely you feel.
Remember that their role in your life is to be your friend, your family member, but not also your business coach and co-worker. Enjoy time with your loved ones by being present and disconnecting from the chatter of work to deeper and meaningful conversations that strengthen any relationship.
Call your family in between your work periods, ask friends to tag along whenever you are running work-related errands, find ways in which you can continue to include them in your life, even while you are working (this is harmony, AGAIN!). I am sure they would love to help in any way they can to support your business while enjoying your sweet company. Having a strong support network is key to us entrepreneurs because although you started out small, it is only time until you get to the top of the world. The hill you have to climb to reach your goals will become less steep with the amazing help of those who love you and want to see you get there. These people are a key aspect of the work-life harmony that you so deserve.
One of the best things about being an entrepreneur is that you get to organize your time your own way. No restrictions, no limitations. You call the shots. I hope by now you’ve had the opportunity to have a look into what work-life harmony could look like for you. It is not going to be perfect, that’s for sure, but if you make sure to keep in mind the points I covered regarding time-flexibility, exercising/meditating, and keeping friends and family close, you can tweak them here and there to strike YOUR version of harmony, and you will find your entrepreneur life all the more gratifying.
In an effort to help you believe you are worthy of work-life balance, and to help retrain your mindset about this often overlooked but important aspect of our lives, make sure to join my email list! Each month you will receive a calendar with daily affirmations and little tasks that will help you work towards achieving your version of success!! Each month the theme changes to one I believe the community needs to reinforce their mindset on! Get on as soon as you can because the new month affirmations calendar comes out at the start of the month!!
