As an entrepreneur, your life can be hectic at best. Your
business is the realization of a dream. Your hard work and
persistence have come to life in the form of your business.
Working for yourself is many people's fantasy and it
should bring you great satisfaction to know that you now
only answer to you. This is all you've ever wanted, so you
must be happy.
Ask yourself this: what was your ultimate goal in starting
your business? You may respond that you wanted to achieve
independence from bosses, to have unlimited income
potential or to set your own hours. All of these answers
basically mean one thing; you went into business for
yourself with the ultimate goal of being happy. But,
spending hour upon hour on your business is not going to
make for a happy family life. Finding a healthy balance
between your business and your family life can be extremely
challenging, but it is essential in order to realize your
ultimate goal of happiness. How do you find time for
family when your business occupies so much of your day.
The following are some tips to help you to achieve the ever
elusive goal of achieving a healthy balance:
1. Create a schedule. Schedule your work time as well as
your family time. Keep a calendar or agenda with this
schedule and stick to it. If you are feeling overwhelmed
and think that just a bit more work time will help, think
again. At the end of a long work day, you are in all
probability feeling tired and frustrated. Taking a look at
things with fresh eyes the next morning will help you to
complete the job properly. Time away from the task will
help to rejuvenate you.
2. Prioritize. Your family is your number one priority,
and don't forget it. When making your schedule, always
plan family time first and include some fun ideas in the
schedule. After a long workday, you may be too tired to
think of fun things to do, and might just end up in front
of the T.V. This is not quality family time. Adding fun
items to your schedule in advance will help you to follow
through with your plans. Schedule a trip to the park, an
evening at the kid's favorite restaurant, or just playing
ball in the backyard. Don't forget to schedule some time
alone with your spouse. A weekly date night will do
wonders for your relationship. Even if it's just enjoying
a rented movie and popcorn after the kids are in bed.
Anything will do as long as it's not already a part of your
normal routine.
3. Be sure to have some time left for yourself. This is
often the most difficult time to schedule. How could you
possibly find time for you with all that you have already
done in the day? On work days, this could be as simple as
a 15 minute bubble bath or curling up with a good book
before bed. On your days off, take a walk for an hour, or
go on a bike ride. Be sure to allow your spouse the same.
He or she needs time alone time as well.
4. Make to-do lists. In order to make the most of your
workday, make lists and cross things off as you accomplish
them. Being a busy entrepreneur, it may sometimes seem as
though you don't have enough time in a day to allocate to
all the jobs you have to do. You will be amazed at how
such a simple thing as making a to-do list will keep you on
track. Once you have crossed off most of the tasks on your
list you will feel proud of all that you have accomplished
in the day. Remember though, if you are not finished your
list at the end of your scheduled workday, those leftover
tasks will have to go on tomorrow's list.
5. Learn to delegate. You may find it difficult to let go
of even some of the smallest tasks. Your business is the
realization of your dream. How could you possibly leave
any part of it in someone else's hands? If you don't want
your business to run your life, you will have to learn to
let go of some duties. Start with delegating little tasks
and build from there. Once you have built up enough trust
in the person you are delegating to, you can start
delegating a little more. If you have employees, use them,
that is what they are there for. If you don't have the
resources to hire an employee, you can still delegate by
using contractors, such as Accountants, Bookkeepers and/or
Virtual Assistants. All of these will cost you less than
an employee and will work from their own offices, so you
don't have to provide them with a work space. Delegating
will go a long way in allowing you to work more
efficiently. It can also give you more time for family.
In fact, delegating chores in your house-hold will
accomplish the same. Hire a house-keeper to come in once
every few weeks, or hire someone to mow your lawn or plow
your driveway in the winter. If these are not viable
options, get your family to help. The more helping hands,
the faster the chores get done, the more time you will have
for the fun stuff.
Remember you need to work on your family in order to make
it a success just as you do your business. Achieving a
healthy balance is not easy, but once you do, the rewards
will out-weigh any of the hard work you put into it.
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Kelly Sims is a Virtual Assistant and President of
Virtually There VA Services. She is dedicated to making
the lives of small business entrepreneurs easier. For more
information, visit her website at =>
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