Get a life. It sounds so simple and easy, but for an entrepreneur, this is one of the hardest things to do. Small business owners run themselves ragged trying to get their new businesses off the ground. In all their efforts to please customers or make a sale, they forget to take time for themselves.
Work-life balance is extremely important to your physical and mental health, though few people give it the attention it needs. If you have a hard time keeping things in check, you could be sabotaging your business’s chance of success. You can check out Home Office Warrior for a helpful guide to achieving a great work-life balance.
The Damaging Effects Of Working Too Much
For the entrepreneur, work becomes a priority because so much depends on the success of the business. However, not prioritizing your health actually weakens your chances of being the best boss, successful in your field, and a financially stable individual.
Those who work long hours increase their risk of a stroke by 33% and heart disease by 13%. Don’t despair if you have already gotten caught up in the trap of working too hard and relaxing too little. Here are some ways to create a better balance between your business responsibilities and your personal life.
Don’t Waste Your Time On Low-Value Tasks
It is easy to get caught up in the mundane tasks that don’t really add significant value to your business. There are some things that are necessary, but they don’t always bring you immediate rewards.
An entrepreneur goes through pressure to answer every phone call and reply to every email, even on weekends or after business hours.
To reduce this pressure, consider getting a second phone number for business calls. You can use a service like Ninja number to create a separate phone number for clients and vendors. Silence the number after hours and retrieve the voicemails later.
You should also analyze what kind of time you spend on things like social media, shopping for office supplies, or looking at employment applications. These are all activities that you could easily outsource to another individual or company.
On the other side of the spectrum, you may be spending too much time on personal activities that detract from your ability to run the company. You may want to try grocery pick up or automatic bill pays to simplify different areas of your life.
Create A Schedule For Your Social Life
Whether you have a family or you are still single, you need to devote a healthy amount of time each week to your social life. Though you are staying busy with the operations of your company, isolation isn’t good for you.
You need to put time on leisure such as spending time with family and friends. Put your social activities on the calendar first. This way, you can plan your work meetings around your life, instead of the other way around. Treat your social life as an important client.
Recognize Your Stressors & Time Consuming Tasks
When things start to bottleneck at work, it is difficult to pull yourself away and let yourself unwind. With the responsibility of the company falling to you, it is tempting to push through the challenges and work until you find a solution.
This creates additional stress that you take home with you, preoccupying your mind to where you can’t focus on your other responsibilities. When you recognize that you are getting stressed, or you know you are facing a period of increased workload, consider hiring temporary help.
Work on the most difficult things during the first part of the day and set a limit for how long you will work on the tasks. Spending too long on a problem can drain you of the emotional and mental energy you need to make it to your friend’s dinner party or for drinks after work. Coping with stress has an impact on how well you can maintain a work-life balance.
The future of your business depends on how well you take care of your physical and mental health. A healthy work-life balance plays an important role for an entrepreneur in their ability to take care of themselves. Take the advice of experts and healthcare professionals. Devote more time to getting a life.
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