Being an entrepreneur who lives near the beach, it can be extremely challenging for me to draw the line between work and play. I thrive on helping my clients, so it’s natural for me to want to be as available as possible for them. But that’s not always realistic or healthy for me. I need to be able to turn work off. Self care is not selfish! It’s necessary.
I’ve put together a list of 5 tips on how I’ve learned to balance my work and life:
1. I create my schedule and stick to it.
It’s important when you start your business that you need to hustle and work long hours with minimum pay; that’s going to happen in almost any type of business. But once you’re able to set a schedule, then you can really balance your life. Clock in and be fully present with your work. Don’t be distracted by social media and mindless scrolling. Focus on what you’re working on. Make your work hours productive, so that when it’s done then you’ll have so much more time to play.
2. I communicate clearly.
When I accept new clients, I provide them clear details and information on how to contact me and what my schedule is like. I have one day a week where I really focus on taking off from work and my clients respect and understand that. I let them know of deadlines and that messages sent after these deadlines will result in a delay.
3. I set boundaries.
I let my clients know when I will reply and when I will be unavailable. When I do take my one day a week off, they know that they shouldn’t expect a reply from me (and if they do, bonus). I have built a community (Facebook team page) where my clients are able to reach out to other clients if they have any questions. Everyone helps each other, which takes any worry off my mind.
4. I turn off my phone notifications.
Recently when I went back to Canada, I actually turned off my phone notifications (iPhone users can totally understand how stressful that little red dot can be on the home screen!) I wasn’t planning to keep them off, but when I noticed after 24 hours that I forgot to turn them back on, I actually realized that I had so much less stress and I wasn’t checking my phone nearly as much throughout the day! I learned that it’s absolutely ok not to reply to a message as soon as it is sent to you, and that has significantly cut back my worries! So I don’t see any new messages unless I actually go into my messages app. It’s a really nice feeling, I highly recommend trying it! Plus, it cuts back on your social media time because you’re not holding your phone as much! Double win!
5. I realize that life will still be ok when I take time off.
When I first started out, I thought that I needed to be always available to my clients; that I was their life support. And I understand that some do need my assistance more than others, that’s absolutely ok! But if I want to take a few days off, my clients are more than understanding! Heck, they actually encourage it and remind me that I deserve the little break! So taking a few days off and adjusting their check in days are totally ok. Life happens, whether it’s with my schedule or with theirs, and it’s more than ok to make changes. Just gotta ask, right?! Life still goes on!
Remember that you cannot pour your energy into the cups of others if your cup isn’t full. Take the time you need in order to find your own healthy balance in life. Working hard is important, but so is your down time. Find your best balance!
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