Work Life Balance and what is it to you?
If you’ve started your own business, you’ve no doubt discovered that being an entrepreneur is not easy. One of the keys to maintaining a successful professional and personal life is to remain in balance. But, what does work life balance mean to you? Ask yourself, what, if anything, is being sacrificed? Is your time spent at work balanced with your time spent with your family?
For me, I enjoy spending time with and being available to my husband and daughter. But, I also love my job and love being a consultant. I know I am in balance between the two when I feel satisfied to go home to my family at the end of my workday; and when I am ready to start work, I know I’ve spent an adequate amount of time with my family.
What about you? Does your income necessity make you feel stressed? Do deadlines, clients, and the money that you need to run your life cause you to be motivated to work more and cause an imbalance? If so, you’re moving out of instinct and not will. The difference between the two is, instinct feels narrow; it leaves you with little or no options. For some, stress is relational; they may feel as though customers can’t be let down. You need customers to feel happy, proud, or fulfilled by your product or service. Another stressor is a sense of ambition and drive to get it done the best, have the best product, meet the need like no other, and wanting to be a leader and be visible. Ambition can be a stressor, and can stem from childhood issues of wanting to prove someone right or wrong.
What can you do about it?
Make a priority list for your personal and business lives. Determine what your priorities are at each level. Level 50 is the greater good or worldview priority. Level 30 is the overall goal and priorities of the business, and lastly, what are the daily priorities. Write down what you love or hate about your job; every hour, write what you did and then write whether you liked doing it or not. Time management is about managing tasks with the amount of time you have; so allot 50% more time than you think you need. Make your to-do list without deadlines, allow your priorities to shift, and be wiling to delegate.