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How to Achieve a Healthy Work-Life Balance as an Entrepreneur
Published on October 23, 2023
The United States is the most overworked developed nation in the entire world. There are no federal laws requiring paid sick days, indicating a maximum length of the work week, or mandating paid parental leave.
Living in this kind of culture, it's difficult to know how to keep a healthy work-life balance. It's even more difficult when you're starting a new business!
Entrepreneurs invest much of themselves into their startups and could end up losing their social and family lives because of it. If you want to avoid those pitfalls, keep reading our article to learn how to maintain a healthy work lifestyle!
1. Set and Follow Your Schedule
Your schedule needs to be more than just a weekly work schedule. It should include all aspects of your life.
Things like holidays, family events, and doctor appointments should have their place on your calendar. It may help you to keep two schedules to separate work and home in your mind. Either way, organize your life, as well as your work.
Include little breaks in your daily schedule to go for a 15-minute walk. Put reminders to stop and eat lunch. Try to keep that lunch from being a work outing. It's easy to become one-track-minded when you're a business owner and entrepreneur. The number of hours that you're pouring into your work should be written down.
Even if you're not paying yourself by the hour, it helps to see how much you've worked in a day or week. Set the number of hours that you won't exceed, and plan your work schedule within them.
It's common for entrepreneurs to work outside of the 9 to 5. This way of scheduling makes it possible for those who work better at different times of the day to still have a boundary.
You have to strive to protect your schedule. When work is done, it's done. No checking emails or taking work calls during family time or when you should be sleeping.
2. Prioritize Your Physical and Mental Health
You're of no use to your business if you're burned out, sick, or both. Prioritizing your health benefits you and your company.
The moment your mental or physical health takes a backseat to your business is the moment you've started down a dangerous path.
This means no ordering pizza so you can keep working late. Stop what you're doing and feed your body what it needs.
A mental health day isn't only for when a relative passes away. Sometimes, we have bad days. You blew a tire, your child's sick, and you found your house has termites. Take a day off to get these situations and your mind in order.
Stress causes health problems and disrupts everything in your body. It's important to find solutions to stress instead of simply living with it.
This looks different for everyone. A few ways to cope with stress are:
Many people have seen wonderful effects from following a healthy diet and exercise. Care about your well-being at least as much as you care about
your company.
3. Get Comfortable Delegating
You can't do all things at all times. While it's true that no one cares about your business as much as you do, they can still be trusted to do their job.
Allow people to help you because as the saying goes, "No man is an island."
Invest in people that you trust and believe in. Then, don't micromanage them. Employees respond positively to bosses and employers that take the time to train them. You don't have to become best friends, but you should know their talents, strengths, and weaknesses.
Celebrate hardworking employees by promoting them to cover areas that you're struggling to maintain. Eventually, you want to feel comfortable being completely out of reach for days off. Not only is this a good work lifestyle to keep, but it also drastically helps your productivity. Imagine spinning five different plates.
You don't have that many arms. Get comfortable delegating!
4. Reward Yourself
It should go without saying that you need to pay yourself. Take a paycheck!
You have to be rewarded for your time, effort, and talent. You're deserving of it. It helps your overall motivation when you are rewarded for your work. This keeps you from burnout.
On top of being paid monetarily, you need to be setting business goals. How much do you want to have earned by this month? How many clients would you like to have by the end of the year?
These markers keep you focused and moving forward in your job. You develop a sense of accomplishment when you hit the goals, which is essential for both work and life!
Once you hit your goals, reward yourself. What have you been wanting?
It could be a vacation, a new car, a bigger tv, etc. Whatever you choose shouldn't have anything to do with work. Don't buy a new photocopier or a more comfortable desk chair. Treat yourself to something that keeps you reaching forward.
Then, set new goals and new rewards. This cycle encourages excitement about what you do instead of burnout.
5. Go On Vacations
In addition to health days, give yourself vacation days. Use those vacation days to go on a real vacation. Plan it in advance! Put it on your schedule half a year to a year ahead of time.
This gives you time to get your systems into place so you know everything will run smoothly while you're gone. Detach yourself from anything work-related and focus on enjoying your time.
At the bare minimum, you should be giving yourself the number of vacation days that you would get working for someone else. Don't pencil it in. Write it firmly in ink.
Vacations are one of the top ways to relieve stress. Strengthen your relationships with your family and friends by going on vacation with them. Going on a vacation increases happiness and widens your view. It's a great way to remove your tunnel vision.
You never know what you will see or learn in addition to safeguarding yourself against burnout. A new culture may be hiding a gem that helps your business go to the next level.
6. Listen to Your Loved Ones
Starting a business is a massive undertaking, especially in the beginning. It takes a lot of your time and a lot of your money.
Because of that, it becomes extremely important to you. It's difficult to keep a healthy perspective.
The people around you see how hard you're working. They notice the toll that it takes on you.
Keep an open mind and an open ear for your loved ones and mentors. Be receptive to what they have to say.
If your partner tries to tell you that you're working too much, enter into the conversation. Take a look at your schedule and notice where you're pushing your boundaries.
It's time to start examining your systems and setups. Rearrange them to free yourself up more.
It could be that you've had to work more this week because of unexpected issues that popped up. But, it's easy to let that continue for weeks and months. Those turn into years.
Hold your boundaries in place. Take time elsewhere if you've had to work more recently.
Know the signs of when you're becoming a workaholic. Don't let your relationships fall apart because of it.
7. Keep a Hobby
Everyone needs to have a hobby! This is an outlet that brings you joy. Your hobby shouldn't be your main source of income. It shouldn't be something that feels like work for you.
Having a hobby gives you something outside of work to bring satisfaction in life. It keeps you from going all in on one thing. Hobbies also keep you from burning out. Ideally, this would be something that utilizes your creativity. It doesn't have to be something you're great at. It just has to be something you enjoy.
Your hobby could be one of the stress relievers we talked about above. This is because most hobbies relieve stress! Whatever you choose, know that your life is more robust because of it. You'll be more interested in social situations and stay interested in your work better if you keep your hobby.
Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life Balance
The biggest key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance is your mindset. You must know your priorities, stick to your boundaries, and listen to those around you.
When you notice your scale is tipping to one side more than the other, take a step back and assess your schedule. Always prioritize your health and the things that keep you well.
Are you thinking of starting a small business and need ideas? We can help you make money by building websites for small businesses. Get started today!
The United States is the most overworked developed nation in the entire world. There are no federal laws requiring paid sick days, indicating a maximum length of the work week, or mandating paid parental leave.
Living in this kind of culture, it's difficult to know how to keep a healthy work-life balance. It's even more difficult when you're starting a new business!
Entrepreneurs invest much of themselves into their startups and could end up losing their social and family lives because of it. If you want to avoid those pitfalls, keep reading our article to learn how to maintain a healthy work lifestyle!
1. Set and Follow Your Schedule
Your schedule needs to be more than just a weekly work schedule. It should include all aspects of your life.
Things like holidays, family events, and doctor appointments should have their place on your calendar. It may help you to keep two schedules to separate work and home in your mind. Either way, organize your life, as well as your work.
Include little breaks in your daily schedule to go for a 15-minute walk. Put reminders to stop and eat lunch. Try to keep that lunch from being a work outing. It's easy to become one-track-minded when you're a business owner and entrepreneur. The number of hours that you're pouring into your work should be written down.
Even if you're not paying yourself by the hour, it helps to see how much you've worked in a day or week. Set the number of hours that you won't exceed, and plan your work schedule within them.
It's common for entrepreneurs to work outside of the 9 to 5. This way of scheduling makes it possible for those who work better at different times of the day to still have a boundary.
You have to strive to protect your schedule. When work is done, it's done. No checking emails or taking work calls during family time or when you should be sleeping.
2. Prioritize Your Physical and Mental Health
You're of no use to your business if you're burned out, sick, or both. Prioritizing your health benefits you and your company.
The moment your mental or physical health takes a backseat to your business is the moment you've started down a dangerous path.
This means no ordering pizza so you can keep working late. Stop what you're doing and feed your body what it needs.
A mental health day isn't only for when a relative passes away. Sometimes, we have bad days. You blew a tire, your child's sick, and you found your house has termites. Take a day off to get these situations and your mind in order.
Stress causes health problems and disrupts everything in your body. It's important to find solutions to stress instead of simply living with it.
This looks different for everyone. A few ways to cope with stress are:
- Meditation
- Therapy
- Journaling
- Exercising
- Reading
- A New Hobby
Many people have seen wonderful effects from following a healthy diet and exercise. Care about your well-being at least as much as you care about
your company.
3. Get Comfortable Delegating
You can't do all things at all times. While it's true that no one cares about your business as much as you do, they can still be trusted to do their job.
Allow people to help you because as the saying goes, "No man is an island."
Invest in people that you trust and believe in. Then, don't micromanage them. Employees respond positively to bosses and employers that take the time to train them. You don't have to become best friends, but you should know their talents, strengths, and weaknesses.
Celebrate hardworking employees by promoting them to cover areas that you're struggling to maintain. Eventually, you want to feel comfortable being completely out of reach for days off. Not only is this a good work lifestyle to keep, but it also drastically helps your productivity. Imagine spinning five different plates.
You don't have that many arms. Get comfortable delegating!
4. Reward Yourself
It should go without saying that you need to pay yourself. Take a paycheck!
You have to be rewarded for your time, effort, and talent. You're deserving of it. It helps your overall motivation when you are rewarded for your work. This keeps you from burnout.
On top of being paid monetarily, you need to be setting business goals. How much do you want to have earned by this month? How many clients would you like to have by the end of the year?
These markers keep you focused and moving forward in your job. You develop a sense of accomplishment when you hit the goals, which is essential for both work and life!
Once you hit your goals, reward yourself. What have you been wanting?
It could be a vacation, a new car, a bigger tv, etc. Whatever you choose shouldn't have anything to do with work. Don't buy a new photocopier or a more comfortable desk chair. Treat yourself to something that keeps you reaching forward.
Then, set new goals and new rewards. This cycle encourages excitement about what you do instead of burnout.
5. Go On Vacations
In addition to health days, give yourself vacation days. Use those vacation days to go on a real vacation. Plan it in advance! Put it on your schedule half a year to a year ahead of time.
This gives you time to get your systems into place so you know everything will run smoothly while you're gone. Detach yourself from anything work-related and focus on enjoying your time.
At the bare minimum, you should be giving yourself the number of vacation days that you would get working for someone else. Don't pencil it in. Write it firmly in ink.
Vacations are one of the top ways to relieve stress. Strengthen your relationships with your family and friends by going on vacation with them. Going on a vacation increases happiness and widens your view. It's a great way to remove your tunnel vision.
You never know what you will see or learn in addition to safeguarding yourself against burnout. A new culture may be hiding a gem that helps your business go to the next level.
6. Listen to Your Loved Ones
Starting a business is a massive undertaking, especially in the beginning. It takes a lot of your time and a lot of your money.
Because of that, it becomes extremely important to you. It's difficult to keep a healthy perspective.
The people around you see how hard you're working. They notice the toll that it takes on you.
Keep an open mind and an open ear for your loved ones and mentors. Be receptive to what they have to say.
If your partner tries to tell you that you're working too much, enter into the conversation. Take a look at your schedule and notice where you're pushing your boundaries.
It's time to start examining your systems and setups. Rearrange them to free yourself up more.
It could be that you've had to work more this week because of unexpected issues that popped up. But, it's easy to let that continue for weeks and months. Those turn into years.
Hold your boundaries in place. Take time elsewhere if you've had to work more recently.
Know the signs of when you're becoming a workaholic. Don't let your relationships fall apart because of it.
7. Keep a Hobby
Everyone needs to have a hobby! This is an outlet that brings you joy. Your hobby shouldn't be your main source of income. It shouldn't be something that feels like work for you.
Having a hobby gives you something outside of work to bring satisfaction in life. It keeps you from going all in on one thing. Hobbies also keep you from burning out. Ideally, this would be something that utilizes your creativity. It doesn't have to be something you're great at. It just has to be something you enjoy.
Your hobby could be one of the stress relievers we talked about above. This is because most hobbies relieve stress! Whatever you choose, know that your life is more robust because of it. You'll be more interested in social situations and stay interested in your work better if you keep your hobby.
Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life Balance
The biggest key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance is your mindset. You must know your priorities, stick to your boundaries, and listen to those around you.
When you notice your scale is tipping to one side more than the other, take a step back and assess your schedule. Always prioritize your health and the things that keep you well.
Are you thinking of starting a small business and need ideas? We can help you make money by building websites for small businesses. Get started today!