Six Tactics for Balancing an Entrepreneurial Life
Building a business requires all of your precious resources. Time, money, effort, and passion all get directed towards the exciting and necessary pull of building something meaningful.
As you grow your business, it is imperative to find balance personally as well. This is difficult for entrepreneurs as the line between business and personal is so thin and often non-existent. Here is one thing for certain:
“An out of balance personal life will eventually create havoc in your professional life.”
Here are tactics I have learned as I have become wiser, aka, older and weathered.
Make time for your partner. This person that probably started as your biggest fan needs you. Specifically, schedule a time every week for a relationship check up where you both can share how things are going with each other.
Find ways to grow together. As a business owner, you are growing. Your personal life needs growth as well. Create a common interest, schedule it and stick to it. Tennis, ballroom dancing, etc. Anything that requires attention on each other.
Be there for your kids. Time flies and you will not remember the meeting you had 15 years ago. You will remember seeing your kid learn to ride a bike, and so will she.
Exercise. You work hard and the endorphin release you get from a workout will make you feel better about yourself, give you more energy and help to keep you healthy. No excuses. Do it.
At some point, stop. Your family needs to know when they can count on you. Create and protect the time that your focus is away from the business every day. It will make your family more secure with you and give you a chance to clear your mind.
Schedule a vacation. You need targets for rewards of hard work. As soon as one is done, plan the next one. Yes, you can find the time.
Paying appropriate attention to your home life will have incredibly positive effects on your business. If this area has been out of balance, use these tactics to fix it, immediately. And watch your happiness pendulum swing.