Managing a business is more than a full-time job. With a full-time job, you clock in and clock out at a set time. But when running a business, you take your work almost everywhere you go, including your home. This is one of the main reasons why for many business owners, work tends to bleed in with their personal lives, leaving little to no time for family, friends, hobbies, and other important aspects of life. Needless to say, this can lead to damaging effects on your physical, emotional, and mental health.
If this sounds like your life right now, it’s high time to make some changes before your business starts taking over every other aspect of your life. Here are some tips on how to manage your business and personal life effectively, finding the perfect balance between both.
Respect your time
Setting clear boundaries between your work and personal life is the key to managing both without compromising either. Set certain hours of the day that are dedicated to working only; treat it like a full-time job where you need to start and end the day on time. For instance, if you start work from 9 AM to 5 PM every day, let others know that you are unavailable for non-work related tasks, especially if you work at home.
On the other hand, if it’s time to get off work, ensure that your employees, clients, and vendors respect your time. Be unavailable–avoid checking your e-mails, set your phone on silent, and don’t answer calls unless it is an emergency. A lot of business owners take advantage of the fact that they can work from anywhere, but being available all the time will only blur the line between your work and personal lives even further.
Make time for hobbies
Hobbies enrich our lives and allow us to take some time to enjoy ourselves. But when you run a business, there seems to be little to no time for anything else other than work and basic everyday tasks. That may be the case, but when you make time, even if it’s just a few minutes every day, you can still have hobbies in your life. So take those piano classes, even if it’s just a few times a week. Spend half an hour on your art. Take a day off once in a while to play some sports. It matters less how long you spend on your hobbies and passions; what matters is that you give yourself time for them.
Find your best schedule
Take advantage of your flexibility as an entrepreneur. If you are at your most productive at night, adjust your schedule so that the bulk of your work is done after the sunsets. The same thing goes if you work best in the early morning or at any other time of the day. Don’t adhere to a ‘typical’ working schedule if it doesn’t work for you; you will be able to get your work done faster and more efficiently if you set a schedule that you prefer.
Get help when you need it
Whether it’s administrative tasks or household chores, getting help when you need it is a great way to free up more time for yourself. Hire more people to share the burden of your workload, delegate chores to your children so that you won’t have to spend your entire weekend on them, reach out to your support system when you are feeling overwhelmed. Entrepreneurs often have this belief that they can do everything themselves, but this will get you burnt out sooner than you think.
Running a business is hard; it may even be the hardest thing you ever have to do, especially if you’re just starting out. Nevertheless, there are lots of ways you can run your business and have enough time for yourself simultaneously, starting with the ones mentioned above.