When you run your own business, it is go-go-go-go-go, and achieving work life balance might seem as fantastical as a unicorn. If you are constantly answering emails, crunching numbers or finding your mind occupied with work, you are not living, you’re working all the time.
The trouble with a poor balance is that you, your loved ones and even your business suffer on all levels when you do not get time to just “be.” Popular thought leader on leadership and entrepreneurship Dr. Parker J. Palmer often says, “We are human beings, not human doings.”
Nobody is judging you, most of us with responsibilities struggle to balance work and life to some degree. The problem is systemic in Western culture. In fact, it is a safe bet that your lack of work life balance is the result of a perfect storm of obsessive workaholism, always-on connectivity and ever-increasing competition. In short, it is not your fault, but you can take ownership immediately and take steps to remedy the problem.
Although there is no silver bullet, there are actions you can take to manage work life balance and get a piece of your sanity back. Try some of these ideas to reclaim personal time.
Foundational Action Steps
1. Define your vision of work life balance.
This is different for everybody. For some people it is the standard Monday through Friday, 9-to-5 job. For others, it is the freedom to define one’s schedule or freedom to work remotely. For others still, it is as simple as having a couple of hours to be present at their kids’ weekly sporting events.
2. Define your non-negotiables.
These are things you do to stay sane, such as:
• Working out
• Getting a nap
• Cooking a wholesome dinner every night
• Engaging in hobbies
• Enjoying an uninterrupted evening once a week with friends and family
Non-negotiables need to be your top priority, so if somebody asks you to do something that interferes with one, politely refuse and schedule the request at a different time. Also, remember you don’t need to justify the time you dedicate to your non-negotiables, nor do you have to disclose what you do. It is personal, and that is all anybody needs to know.
Smaller Action Steps
3. Turn off notifications on your phone when you are not at work. Inform your team and colleagues how to contact you in case of a genuine business emergency.
4. If you work in an environment that requires immediate responses, create an auto responder on your email and turn it on during those hours and days that you are taking off. Again, provide emergency contact instructions or an alternate contact.
5. Work with a colleague, coworker or boss to arrange coverage for each other’s downtime. Set it up on an alternating schedule that allows you both enjoy a break from responsibilities.
6. Hire an answering service. There are hundreds of virtual receptionist services available at competitive rates thanks to the globalized freelance economy. When you are unavailable, these services can step in and be the warm friendly voice on the phone while you’re having dinner with the family. When you come back, you’ll have nice, neat messages you can prioritize and respond to accordingly.
7. If you are a scheduling fanatic, schedule yourself time off, and treat it with the same importance that you would treat a meeting with a top client.
8. Do not schedule every minute of every day. This is a significant contributor to stress and poor work life balance. Consider how often your thoughtfully planned day goes as planned: It is probably rare. Give yourself space between appointments and open time so that you can take care of priorities as they come up.
9. Practice being present in the moment. If you are working, throw your whole mind into the tasks at hand. If you are with family, dedicate your entire mind to being present with them, not to thinking about work. For many people this is a skill, one you’ll have to train yourself to master. Some people have the ability to turn their minds on and off like a switch naturally, but most of us have to work at it. There are many acclaimed books on the practice, often called mindfulness. Dr. John Kabat–Zinn has authored many books you might find helpful while learning how to be present.
10. Get involved in your community. This is a great action to take if you have a hard time stepping away from your work. Volunteer at a shelter, participate in a neighborhood cleanup, volunteer at a local school or help a neighbor. When you are busy helping others, not only do you have a legitimate “out” from your work, but your mind has to focus on something else, something bigger than yourself. It is a win-win scenario.
11. Take up a hobby. If you struggle to take time for yourself because there is nothing to do, then give yourself something fun to do in your downtime. It is common for entrepreneurs and leaders to feel inadequate or guilty for doing nothing, and a hobby can help fill the void left by not working.
12. If you work at home, have a dedicated office. If you have one space in your home that you go to in order to work, then you can avoid that feeling of your entire home being an office. Even though it is easy to do “a few things” while you are sitting on the couch watching TV, this creates an unhealthy association of your couch and TV with work.
The struggle to achieve work life balance is equally challenging for men and women, though women tend to feel the stresses of poor work life balance more than men do. However, both men and women struggle with depression because of an imbalanced life. When you do not have the time to be yourself or allow your thoughts to work themselves out without interruption, it takes an enormous toll on your soul.
Depression is alarmingly prevalent among entrepreneurs and leaders, and nobody wants to talk about it. By prioritizing your needs as well as the needs of your business, you can sidestep the whole experience and lead a happier, more productive life.
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Image credit: science-professor.blogspot.com, www.betterment.com