5 Ways to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Having a work-life balance is a topic that is hotly debated in entrepreneurial circles. Many business owners will tell you that if you are seeking a work-life balance that you are never going to go far and that you should quit before you begin, however, you can run a startup and still have time for your life without the business being a complete waste.

The most important thing to remember about a work-life balance when you start your business is that you are more likely than not going to be spending most of your time working if you want your business to be a success whether you like it or not–however, if you spend one hundred percent of your time working, then your business is liable to suffer from the kind of dementia that comes with overworking yourself says inc. There does need to be some sort of balance there for your own sanity and overall quality control, however, what that balance is is something that you have to determine for yourself. With that being said, the following five tactics can be used to find a work-life balance and find the startup period of your business enriching instead of completely taxing.

Let Your Schedule Rule You

This may seem like a bit of counterproductive advice, but without having your time carefully structured, you are more likely to fall into destructive patterns like spending all of your time working or not nearly enough of your time working. You will need to be strict with your schedule and your time for all of your activities in order for your business and your personal life to be successful ventures. There are plenty of productivity apps that you can use to help keep your schedule booked, making this task one thing that actually is not easier said than done.

Let Yourself Wake Up In The Morning

When you are running a business, it can be easy to get stuck in the mindset that you need to be always connected and respond to issues as fast as possible, no matter what. However, launching directly into your work day when you wake up is just not very healthy for you–when you give yourself time to wake up and relax before going into work responsibilities, you are going to respond to those things that come up better and feel more refreshed overall.

Remember To Take A Holiday

Taking time away from work is important for one reason alone: when you are away from the stress of the office, you are able to think about those problems in a clearer manner when you return. Having that time off will also give you new, creative ways to think about solving problems that will help to diversify and enhance your startup with you return to it after your vacation. The experiences that you have on vacation can definitely be integrated into your work life, and they should! (That trip to the beach definitely classifies as research in that case.)

Trust Your Employees, But Make Sure That They’re Good Ones

One of the best ways to give yourself some more time in your personal life is to have employees that you can rely on to actually do part of your job for you. When you hire good talent, you will be able to take days off and delegate tasks and know that they will get done. It might be hard to let go of your pride and joy for a little bit and give responsibilities to others, but if you do not do it there is no way your business can truly grow.

Minimise The Outside Number of Responsibilities You Have

As much as you might want to be involved with your child’s school team or would like to be the host for Girl Scout meetings, you should minimize your amount of outside responsibilities to give yourself more down time to actually enjoy with your family and friends. Having fewer responsibilities will also just minimise your general stress level, which will benefit not only you, but your family life and your work life as well.

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