As an entrepreneur or business owner, it can be easy to become consumed by your work and loose that work / life balance. I genuinely speak from experience. When I started Inika Cosmetics (https://www.inikaorganic.com/) I didn’t realise how much growth we would achieve and how big the business was to become. By the time I had created a global cosmetics business I was literally hanging on by my fingernails and I had lost all balance in my life.
Signs You’re Out of Balance
Here are some of the signs - you find yourself putting in long hours, neglecting your personal relationships and responsibilities, and sacrificing your own well-being for the sake of your business. While it's important to be dedicated to your business and work hard to achieve success, it's also crucial to maintain a balance between your professional and personal life.
The concept of work-life balance is more important than ever before. With the rise of technology and the ability to be connected 24/7, it can be difficult to disconnect from work and fully engage with our personal lives. In fact, a lack of work-life balance can lead to a variety of negative consequences, such as burnout, decreased productivity, and health problems.
Setting Boundaries
So how can you achieve success in your business while also maintaining a healthy balance between your professional and personal life? One of the key strategies is to set boundaries. This means setting clear limits on the time and energy that you dedicate to your work and actively scheduling time for yourself and your loved ones. This can help you prevent yourself from getting caught up in work and neglecting your personal life.
When I was building Inika I was also a single mum, in time I learned that I had to be VERY disciplined with myself around time boundaries. From dinner time up until I’d gotten Lola to sleep for the night was HER time. After she was asleep I could go back to work, which was actually a perfect time for me to connect with the office in the UK. I sometimes think it’s even harder for those of us with a partner to achieve this balance because it’s all too easy for you to leave it to your partner to put the kids to bed and maintain some quality parent – child time.
Delegating
Another strategy is to prioritize your time and responsibilities. This means identifying the tasks and activities that are truly important and critical to the success of your business and focusing on those, while also being mindful of what you can delegate or outsource. This will allow you to spend your valuable time and energy on the things that truly matter, rather than getting bogged down with minutiae. This is often one of the hardest things for entrepreneurs because we are CONTROL FREAKS! (More on this in a later blog!)
Making Time For You
In addition to these strategies, it is important to make sure to make time for activities and hobbies you enjoy, take regular exercise, and maintain self-care. By taking care of yourself physically and mentally, you will be better able to stay focused and motivated to reach your business goals. This is one area I see entrepreneurs really struggle with. Especially mums, because you will devote yourself to the kids and business and then your partner and then you come in at the bottom of the pile. The only really beneficial way I’ve found to deal with this is to get someone to hold you accountable. That can be a coach or a friend but don’t try and handle this one yourself because no matter how good your intentions are, I predict you’ll be back where you started in time.
Don’t be a Perfectionist
It's also important to remember that achieving balance doesn't mean achieving perfection. You will have times when work demands more attention than usual or when personal responsibilities take up more time. The key is to be aware of when you are out of balance and take steps to adjust. That way you can still achieve your business goals while still making time for the things that are important to you.
Balancing your professional and personal life is crucial for achieving success in business while also maintaining your well-being. By setting boundaries, prioritizing your time and responsibilities, and making time for self-care and activities you enjoy, you can achieve both business and personal success. It's all about finding a balance that works for you.
If you’re struggling to find or maintain your balance or you feel like your personal life is being sacrificed it might be beneficial for you to use a holistic coach. I’m not only a business coach but a holistic coach, which means my priority is to help you build your business AND maintain your well being at the same time. Why not get in touch? We can arrange an initial chat, which is free of charge and we can discuss your situation to see if coaching is something that will help.
