In the early stages of setting up a business, it can take over your whole life. You will spend all day, every day finding clients, sending emails, building your website, and seeking new business opportunities. You’ll often be typing away well into the early hours, and you’ll soon forget what the word weekend even means.
Of course, building a business from the ground up requires a monumental amount of dedication and commitment. It’s understandable that you want to give it everything you have. You’ve finally found the chance to follow your passion and experience all the benefits of working for yourself. You should feel an enormous sense of pride and achievement at what you’ve created.
But despite your entrepreneurial success, your life is not defined by your business. You have other goals and responsibilities in your life, such as your family, your house, your social life, and your mental and physical wellbeing. All of these things are crucial to living well, and if you’re not careful, your obsession with your work could lead them to fall to the wayside.
That’s not to say you should put less effort into your business or give up altogether. It’s important to do well professionally, and working for yourself will benefit your life in so many ways. But what’s crucial is balance. Your personal life is just as important as your career, and you need to find time for both. You don’t want to reach old age and wish you’d spent more time with your loved ones or looked after your health while you were young.
To help you find this essential balance, here are five tips to stop your business from affecting your personal life.
Establish a routine
One of the key benefits of running your own business is the ability to set your own schedule. You have the option to whenever you like, and wherever you like. But all this freedom comes with drawbacks, as it can often lead to your work creeping into your personal life. You might end up working late into the evening while the rest of your family are having fun, or spending Sunday afternoons on the phone when you could be going to the gym or seeing friends.
For this reason, it’s essential that you incorporate some structure into your workday. Create a detailed plan for each day, outlining everything you want to achieve and the timeframe in which you’ll achieve this. On top of this, you should create a more general weekly plan on a Monday morning. This will help you to stay focused and make it more likely that you get your work done in a timely fashion.
Setting time boundaries to your day means that you will start and finish work at a set time, outside of which you will prioritize your personal and familial commitments. As soon as your workday ends, you should shut your laptop and not think about work until the next day.
Create a home office
If you run your business from home, you can’t underestimate the importance of having your own workspace. If you are the kind of person who sets up shop wherever you feel like, you are making yourself more susceptible to interruptions and distractions. Having a private office or corner for working tells other members of your household that you are busy and should not be disturbed. It doesn’t take much to set up a home office, but you need to find a suitably quiet space in your house. You should take care to keep it organized and tidy as this will put you in a more peaceful mindset for focusing on difficult tasks.
It is crucial that your workspace is comfortable, to allow you to stay focused on your work for longer. A quality ergonomic desk chair to protect your back and neck is a worthwhile purchase.
Schedule social activities
When you have a business meeting in the diary, you will always stick to it. Canceling or delaying an appointment with a client or colleague paints you in a bad light and will put your reputation at risk, so you’d never do it. And you should treat your personal life with the same respect. Schedule activities with your family such as film nights or days out, and put them in your diary. This makes you more likely to commit to them and holds you accountable if you don’t. The same goes for other important commitments like exercising or keeping in touch with friends.
Eliminate time wasters
It’s understandable that your new business will occupy a large chunk of your time, meaning you only have limited hours in the day to look after yourself or spend time with family. For this reason, you should eliminate any activities that use up this precious time without adding value. A key offender is the internet. It’s easy to waste hours at a time scrolling through social media or aimlessly Googling random topics to the detriment of your career and personal life. Make an effort to break your technology addiction by turning your devices off when you’re not working and engaging in more wholesome activities with your loved ones.
Prioritize your health
Your health is of the utmost importance, but it’s easy to neglect it when work becomes a priority. Schedule time each day for at least thirty minutes of exercise, whether it’s going for a run, hitting the gym, or playing a team sport with a local club. Don’t forget to look after your mental health too, as working too hard can lead to soaring stress levels, anxiety, and burnout. Take regular breaks throughout the day and avoid staring at screens for long periods. Use your leisure time to do something relaxing like going for a long walk in nature or taking a relaxing hot bath.
In conclusion, it is entirely possible to maintain a healthy personal life at the same time as running your own company. To help you get started, visit stepstostartingabusiness.com for some great advice.