You may have started your business with the intentions of having a better work-life balance or for some other reason and the work is now taking over your life. If so here are a few tips.
- Set clear boundaries between work and personal time (and place). I find it helpful to clear my desk each evening and to ensure that I actually log off my computer (it’s also better for keeping your software updated)
- Prioritise tasks – you’ve probably already seen the matrix of urgent vs important where you start with the tasks that are urgent AND important
- Delegate where possible – be aware of how much you could earn in an hour and delegate everything possible to somebody with a lower hourly rate. This might be a virtual assistant, a junior member of the team, or even buying in help at home.
- Schedule regular breaks – I always block out an hour for lunch and an alarm to finish working at the end of the day. My need for tea ensures that I take regular breaks to make another drink (or go to the loo after drinking so much!)
- Schedule holidays – I start each year by blocking off the last week of March, June, September, and December as well as a week around my birthday. I sometimes need to change these dates nearer the time but it means that I don’t book meetings in when I expect to be away.
- Practice mindfulness or other stress management techniques – I don’t meditate but I do enjoy running and letting my brain unwind. It’s how I originally got into triathlons
- Create a flexible work schedule that works for you and your life – this isn’t just for the business owner as all our team have this option
- Monitor KPIs around this – I track my weekly working hours and also my profit per hour.
What are your top tips for work-life balance