this week we are exploring the topic of work-life balance…
Is it even possible? or do we just need to learn as entrepreneurs to embrace the ebs and flows of business, learn to compartmentalise and set boundaries and use any down time we get to relax and enjoy life. Then try and be efficient and productive and focused when working and do our best to carve out time for ourselves no matter what is going on?
Work/ Life/Balance means different things to different people. There can be pressure to think that there is the “right way” and when you are starting out in the early stages of your business, balance might not exist. However, that is okay because it is part of the process and you need to go through these seasons to know what works for you and your lifestyle.
Some seasons are slower, and you have time to have the balance, and other seasons are busy but it’s finding ways to cope and develop your own ways of dealing with it all.
This module ties in with the previous week of self-care, because it’s about reflecting on your life and assessing what works, what is stressing you out, but most importantly, making sure you are enjoying and loving the life you have or creating.
We only have one life, and as morbid as it sounds, we could be dead tomorrow. It is good to put that into perspective, because it challenges you to think, is this particular thing I am stressing about, worth being stressed about, or can I let it go and move towards more joyful things in my life.
You want to look back at this time in your life, and be proud that you tried your best, even in the hard times and know that you enjoyed what you are doing. If you aren’t enjoying what you are doing, it is worth looking into why and how you can change that.
TIPS FOR IMPROVING WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Here are some of the things that have worked for us when starting our businesses.
Learn to embrace the quiet moments - when working for yourself it can be easy to fluctuate between being too busy and having no time for life outside work, then using any quiet periods in your business stressing about not having enough work. Try and use these quiet periods to enjoy life-stuff, you can still promote your business, and strive to get new clients but sometimes how much work you have is outside our control sp try and be proactive about promoting your business, but not stressed and take some time for other life stuff.
Learn to embrace the busy periods - as with the quiet periods for most entrepreneurs especially in the early years of business it isn’t reasonable to say you will never work long hours. Sometimes there are deadlines and things just need to get done if you want to push your business forward and be successful. Accepting these hours are necessary at times (without glorifying the idea of overwork and a hustle mentality) and trying to enjoy them and knowing it isn’t forever can be helpful in managing stress and anxiety
Build in regular periods of your work schedule that are not quite so busy - for example if you know you will be really busy on the run up to Christmas, take some time early in the year or over the summer period to work more regular hours, with regular time off. Or maybe you know weekends are always going to be crazy busy, so try and build in a couple of quieter days each week to manage your energy levels and give you time to do other things.
Learn to compartmentalise and set boundaries - probably the most useful technique for work-life balance is learning to compartmentalise and set boundaries. If you can teach yourself not to think about things until you are ready to focus on them in work, or things that are outside your control that you cannot change you will free up a lot of energy and time. Likewise setting boundaries will give you control and reduce stress and anxiety. Meditation can be helpful, apps such as Calm and Headspace can give you the basic tools or you could use a daily ritual such as exercise or any other non-work related activity when you finish work to help you switch off and separate work from life.
Focus and productivity - it is so easy to sit at a desk for 8 hours and do only 2 hours of work. Finding tools to help you focus and work efficiently means you could drastically reduce your work hours, leaving more time for life. There are many apps and tools available and things like focussing on one task at a time, doing the hardest task first, not checking your emails constantly so you aren’t distracted, managing your social media usage (see below) and setting up a quiet workspace rather than trying to work in front of the TV can help, Look at your current productivity and see when you are most productive and what you could change or improve.
Comparison - don’t make the mistake of comparing yourself to others. Everyone is on a different journey and you don’t know the details of their situation. There will always be people more fortunate and those who are less fortunate. Comparison is a waste of time and energy and will just make you feel bad. Use you energy positively instead to move forward with your business.
Hobbies - having focused hobbies outside of work can really help you to properly unwind and rest. It also gives you an additional focus to your life, so while your work is important to you and an important part of your life it also doesn’t completely define you. This can give invaluable perspective should things go wrong in your business at any stage and help you compartmentalise and deal with work anxiety and stress.
Social Media
Having a healthy relationship with social media so it works for you and your business can be really difficult. Here are some ideas we have found helpful for managing social media usage to improve your work-life balance.
Turn off notifications off your phone from social media apps
Delete the apps or rearrange them on your phone so that it isn’t the first thing you see
Make it harder to log in to Instagram, Facebook, twitter.
Unfollow people that make you feel shit about yourself
Create better boundaries for yourself. Maybe don’t check social media first thing in the morning
Don’t check social media until you’ve completed the work you need to do
Leave your phone in another room when you are working
week 10 book
This week’s book Off Balance by Matthew Kelly is all about work-life balance. Something Matthew Kelly believes is a mistake, he believes we don’t really want balance instead we want satisfaction.
He lays out the system he uses with his clients, his team, and himself to find deep, long-term satisfaction both personally and professionally. He introduces us to the three philosophies of our age that he feels are dragging us down. He shows us how to cultivate the energy that will give us enough battery power for everything we need and want to do. And finally, in five clear steps, he shows us how to use his Personal & Professional Satisfaction System to establish and honor our biggest priorities, even if we spend a lot more time on some of the lesser ones.
week 10 podcast
In this week’s podcast Stuff Mum Never Told You join hosts Anney and Samantha to as they discuss what it is to identify as female through research-based discussion around feminism and how it impacts everyday life. New episodes come out Wednesday and Friday.