The challenge of achieving a work-life balance has existed for a long time, but harmony between work and life is possible with the right approach and mind-set.
1. What does work-life balance mean to you?
Firstly, figure what work-life balance means to you, as one size does not fit all. There’s no right or wrong answer as each leader is individual with unique businesses and visions. You may also find that your work – life balance is different for you at different stages of your business and of your life.
Recognise the signs that you are over doing it and then actually do something about it. It may be that your partner has started complaining about how much you are working or you often say you ‘don’t have time’. If this is you, stop and do something about it. Such as:
2. Delegate
Some business owners don’t delegate tasks because they think it will be quicker to do it themselves. Which is probably true the first, and maybe second time but if you take the time to explain it to someone who can take over the task, you will be saving time in the long run. Create a ‘To Don’t List’ to help you identify a list of tasks that you can delegate to others.
3. Prioritise and plan
Treat yourself like a valuable piece of equipment and stick to a maintenance schedule. Try not to do too many things at once and keep one to-do list for both work and home life as this will help you prioritise the most important tasks.
4. Stop bad habits
Many business owners think that to be effective you must always be busy. This can come from a place of fear, fear that if they take their foot off the accelerator their businesses will fail or that opportunities turned down will never reappear. Often when they started their business working long hours became the norm and they’ve just never stopped. Now is the time to break the habit and make time for life activities.
Take time to remember what you are working for and make sure you don’t miss it because you are always working.
