It has been months since I worked out at the gym. I just can’t find the time.
I am starting to feel burnout creeping in.
Every entrepreneur has had these thoughts at some point. Yes, your entrepreneurial dreams are important. But that doesn’t mean it should come at the cost of your personal life. The time you spend with your family is equally important. The time you spend on your health and well-being is equally important.
You need to enjoy the best of both worlds – a thriving business and a personal life to enjoy the reaps of your business. Want to know how to do this? Read along.
The Pillars of Work-Life Balance
As an entrepreneur, work-life balance is not just about working fewer hours. It is about creating a life that is fulfilling and successful, both from a professional and personal perspective. It would be meaningless to have one without the other.
Here are the most important aspects of work-life balance for entrepreneurs
Career: This includes your professional goals, aspirations and achievements
Relationships: This includes your relationships with other people including your partner, family and friends
Hobbies: The things you enjoy doing outside of work.
Self-care: This includes taking care of your well-being; both mental and physical.
You are more likely to be successful when there is a healthy balance between these aspects.
The Hurdles
There are numerous challenges that you might face as an entrepreneur. Some of the most prominent ones are:
Long working hours + and unpredictable schedule: As an entrepreneur, you might often work long hours on any given day, much more than the average employee does. The day can also be unpredictable, making it difficult to plan and schedule.
Pressure to succeed: There is an overwhelming pressure on entrepreneurs (internal and external) to succeed. This often leads to overwork and stress.
Difficulty with delegation: A lot of entrepreneurs may struggle with delegating tasks to others. This is because you are used to doing everything on your own and may not have complete trust in others to do tasks as well as you do.
Lack of boundaries: It can be difficult for entrepreneurs to draw a line between work and personal life. You might find yourself checking work emails or taking calls late in the night or during weekends; leading to overwork and burnout.
Isolation:Unless you have co-founders, entrepreneurship can be a very lonely journey. You may not have colleagues or a traditional support network, leading to feelings of isolation and the tendency to focus more on work than on other aspects of their lives.
Overcoming Challenges
Despite the presence of the above-mentioned challenges, it is possible to achieve work-life balance as an entrepreneur.
Here are some strategies that entrepreneurs can use to overcome the.
Separate work and personal time: It is important to set boundaries between work and personal life. You don’t want the stress of business bleeding into your personal life. Create a schedule and stick to It as much as possible. Try to get your work done within your scheduled working hours. It also means avoiding checking your work email and not taking work calls outside of your working hours.
Delegate and outsource:You should delegate and outsource tasks to others whenever they can. Take a list of the most important tasks that you can perform yourself and outsource the rest to professionals. For example, accounting may not be something that you can do yourself. It is best outsourced to an accountant.
Take breaks and vacations: It is important to disconnect from work once in a while. Go on small vacations with your significant other or your friends. The experiences from such trips can help to see things differently and give you inspiration that will ultimately help you drive your business forward.
Prioritize self-care: To stay energised and to keep up the entrepreneurial spirit, entrepreneurs must prioritize self-care. Exercise and meditate regularly and get enough sleep.
Learn to say no: Entrepreneurs, especially those offering services tend to say yes to everything that comes their way. This can add undue stress and affect the overall quality of your work. Say no to requests/projects that you know will overwhelm you.
Foster creative habits: Engaging in creative activities can help manage stress, foster innovative thinking and mindfulness and manage time better. it also allows you to tap into your self-awareness, which is essential to tackle all the challenges we discussed previously. You can start by playing your favourite musical instrument or writing or drawing. If you want faster results, it is always a great idea to consult with a professional creative therapist.
Conclusion
While it may seem like work-life balance is something out of reach for entrepreneurs, it is not the case. Many entrepreneurs run successful businesses and yet manage to lead a happy life without sacrificing their hobbies and relationships.
The first step is to identify what’s disrupting your work-life balance. Once that is done, the next step is to strategise a plan to tackle those hurdles
