This week I was asked to be a guest blogger. Specifically, to write about work life balance for the small business owner.
Firstly, I would like to thank Olivia Garrison, Director of Communications from www.creativeclickmedia.com/ for asking me to be their guest blogger.
I was 24 years old when I started my company. That was many moons ago! What I can tell you is that work life balance is like any other aspect of your business. It must be well thought out and planned.
Please don’t get me wrong, I became a grit entrepreneur by jumping ahead with many great ideas and many times without knowing the logistics of who, what, where, when, how, but faith, tenacity and true passion kept me going and it always worked out!
Success encompasses great ideas, but also a lot of failures. Balance is the same way. You can have the best plan set for your day and then the day is finished and you did not get to your “list” or barely scratched the surface due to interruptions. This is where you need a Work Life Balance Expert!
The key is to have strategies to utilize and to exercise fully (no part timers allowed here!) in boundary management. You can not and will not please everyone in your professional or personal life, so let’s start there and develop that mindset first.
TIME is as important as your HEALTH. You must protect it at all times. Many companies finally get this when we complete an exercise and they see where all the “time suckers” are in their day.
Social media is great, however, it must be scheduled to have only small “pockets” of your day and not consume you. Many people are afraid they may miss something. NEWSFLASH: You have no time for this. Save your Facebook scrolling for when you are done work if you feel that your ‘self care’ time is worthy of that instead of meditation, yoga or a warm, hot bath with Epsom salts or your favorite essential oil.
The key to finding work life balance is to discover where you currently have imbalance. It’s the only way. How can you turn around something in another direction if you don’t know the location?
Another strategy is that not everyone who comes to you for business will be a customer. Do not lower your standards to produce an invoice. Many entrepreneurs choose to ‘bend’ and change their policies and procedures to make a sale. You have to keep to a standard of business practice that honors you as a person and your original WHY. If your not, why are you in business?
Having a start to your morning as early as possible is key. I’ve always been an early riser. It gives me time to have self-care, practice daily gratitude, enjoy the quiet and also workout before my day even begins. It sets the tone for my day and when I do not have a chance to do this, my day is never the same.
LUNCH! This is key to your health and work life balance daily regime. Many of my clients tell me they just don’t have time to eat. I have to call bull shit on this one! Firstly, you need the break. Secondly, your body needs both the hydration and nutrition. Coffee and chocolate at the 2-3 p.m. time frame is not a healthy strategy and what behavior are you modelling for your staff?
Being a small business owner is difficult as you usually start out on your own. I get it. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt. I always take time for breaks. Lunch is non-negotiable. Saying no is okay and quite respectable. You can not and will not be everything to everyone. It’s a lovely sentiment though.
“Work life balance is about progression, not perfection” – Deborah Crowe
Helping companies implement work life balance with ease!
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