It’s not always easy to find balance with your life and business, especially when you work for yourself. When it comes to looking after your mental health, though, it’s an essential skill to master. After all, you want to feel fulfilled and content with your work and personal life, not only for your benefit but for those around you too.
But if you’re not sure how to achieve that balance, you’re not alone. So here are 10 top tips to help you find balance with your life and business.
#1: Accept that any balance with your life and business will shift
When it comes to life and business balance, know that balance is an even distribution of weight. Each part isn’t set in stone, though, so there will be times when that weight shifts from one part to another. You may find yourself having to spend more time at work or wanting to take time out with your family; each of those things will cause that weight to shift and unbalance the equilibrium you have. And that’s ok – accept that. You’ll naturally find that things will shift and change, and as long as you’re willing to accept that, you can adjust accordingly.
#2: Establish what’s important for you
That’s why it’s so important to establish what’s important to you when you’re first looking to find balance with your life and business. In both your work and business. You can then look to ensure you’re focusing on the things that matter and are important to you. This will often be those things that help you reach your life and business goals.
#3: Know what makes you happy
As with anything, you need to also do the stuff you love. There will be things that are important, but are they also what makes you happy? Because they’re not always the same thing! Take hobbies, for instance. They may not be important in the grand scheme of your life and business goals, but they are essential to your happiness levels. Get clear on what makes you happy and make a note to do more of them.
#4: Develop daily habits that support your goals in life and business
When you repeat something daily, it becomes a habit that doesn’t require you to make a decision. You know exactly what to do; it helps you feel more in control, and they boost your confidence. Habits also help set you up for success by getting you in the right mindset and preparing you for the day. So what habits can you implement to best support your life and business goals?
#5: Make yourself a priority at home and work
You are your most important priority, at home and work. If you’re not healthy and well, you’re not able to perform to your best abilities, including your ability to help yourself and others. So make your self-care, health and wellbeing your top priority, as this will also help you establish a healthy balance between life and business.
#6: Know what you’re willing to invest
No matter what your goals or aspirations, they’re going to involve an investment of some kind. If there are tasks you don’t like doing at work, that can mean looking at learning or outsourcing. That may include sharing childminding with another parent or paying for childcare at home. Whether it’s time or money, you need to decide what you’re willing to invest to create the balance you want.
#7: Prioritise your life and business goals
If you want to find balance with your life and business, you need to ensure you’re prioritising your personal and professional goals. Know what’s important to you and make the space and time to prioritise those things. What are you willing to do to allow that to happen? What will you implement, delegate, adapt or ditch?
#8: Manage your commitments
That brings us to managing your commitments. There are always going to be things that pop onto your to-do list. Emergencies happen, unexpected opportunities may arise. But you get to decide how you handle those things. You can use the Eisenhower Matrix to help with this – you’ll find more info on that here. But essentially, you’re deciding what to say yes and no to, what to pick up or drop, and how you’re going to prioritise your commitments to help maintain that work-life balance you have.
#9: Build a support network that helps maintain that balance
If you want to find balance with your life and business, you’ll want a support team in place. At work, this may involve building a team and outsourcing tasks. Whilst at home, that may include getting the family more involved or hiring staff. And that doesn’t have to be scary or extravagant – it could simply be hiring a local teen to come and mow your lawn or wash your car!
#10: Review, reflect and rebalance as needed
Balance is something that will shift and change. So set aside time to review and reflect on where you currently are. Do you have the balance you want, or are there things that need tweaking and changing? How can you rebalance things to best suit your needs?
It’s not always easy to find balance with your life and business, especially when you work for yourself. However, the 10 tips above will help you establish what’s important to you and create your own unique view of how that looks for you.
And if you’re looking to invest in outsourcing as part of your commitment to managing your work commitments, why not get in touch? We help busy, ambitious business owners find time and get stuff done so they can share their gifts with more clients and have more time off. So reach out, and let’s talk – we can discuss your needs and potential next steps. You’ll find our contact information here.
