How to Be a Business Owner and Still Have a Personal Life

by | Sep 3, 2020 | Blog

When you ask an entrepreneur why they decided to start their own business, they almost always say that they wanted more freedom, flexibility, and time with their family and friends. And while achieving the perfect work/life balance is truly apart of living the American dream, the unfortunate part is that business owners are now working more than ever.

According to a Gallup study, 57% of small business owners work six or more days each week, and 62% said that they work more than 50 hours a week. After working that much, you might begin to ask yourself if you run the business or if the business runs you.

The good news is that you achieve those dreams that drove you into starting your own business and still have a thriving business. In this post, we are sharing tips on how you can be a business owner and still have time to do the things you love.

Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries with customers, employees, vendors, and yourself is key to have a better work/life balance. It’s so easy to say yes to every idea or client request, but when you’re already overwhelmed and working late, taking on more work isn’t always the best step. Instead of just giving a flat no (this can be difficult and terrifying to do), discuss working with that client, employee, or vendor at a future date. You’ll feel less pressure with proper boundaries. Some examples of workplace boundaries include:

  • Taking time to reply. Hitting the pause button will help you stop instantly saying yes and think the request through.
  • Don’t reply to emails or phone calls after normal business hours.
  • Focus on work at work and focus on your personal life when you aren’t working.
  • Say no as necessary.
  • Prepare for pushback on your boundaries so that you don’t give in.

Schedule Everything

If you aren’t a fan of using a calendar, now is the time to embrace it. When you see your schedule on a regular basis it will help you make better decisions with your time. But don’t just start using a calendar for work projects. Start scheduling everything in your life and stick to it. Schedule your lunch break, schedule date night, schedule school plays, and more. The more you do this, the easier it will be to balance your commitments.

Outsource Business Tasks

As we said, you can have it all without having to do it all. If you are spending a lot of your day-to-day handling mundane tasks and administrative work, your focus isn’t where it needs to be. You’re the visionary, embrace it. The easiest way to get your focus on growth is to quit worrying about those administrative tasks. Hiring an executive assistant or virtual assistant will help you get more done in less time, help you grow your business, and give you more time to complete the tasks you need to. Some common tasks an executive assistant or virtual assistant can handle for you include:

  • Inbox management
  • Calendar management
  • Travel planning
  • Office organization
  • Implement processes
  • Managing payroll
  • Onboarding and Offboarding
  • Event planning
  • Communication
  • And more

Create Workflows

Businesses create workflows to save time and standardize complex business processes. With the constant changes businesses large and small are facing right now, it has never been more important to implement these processes. Unfortunately, a lot of business owners are already short on time and don’t have it in them to create these processes, but doing so would be worth it in the end. To learn more about workflow and how LifeSquire can help you create these processes for your business, click here.

Eliminate Personal Tasks

When you’ve worked a 10+ hour day, the last thing you want to do is leave work to run errands, cook dinner, and tidy up the house. Not only do you not want to do those tasks, but they also eat away at your personal time. You can get more personal time back for family game night, weekend getaways, and happy hour when you eliminate them altogether. No, we don’t know the secret to Samantha’s nose twitch in Bewitched, but we do know how you can stop doing the tasks you hate. Hiring a personal assistant will help you get your personal tasks done without you having to lift a finger. Some common tasks personal assistants handle include:

  • Running errands
  • Laundry washing and folding
  • Light household tidying
  • Scheduling appointments
  • Meeting service providers
  • Shopping
  • Travel planning
  • Cooking
  • Household management
  • And more

Take Breaks Regularly

It might sound crazy to hear that you should take breaks even though you already feel like you are short on time. In fact, when you are short on time, your default may be to eat lunch at your desk and work as much overtime as they can handle. But only stepping away from your desk to get more coffee isn’t the recipe for success. When you don’t give yourself a break and time to refresh, you will begin to feel chronically stressed and eventually get so burnout that your productivity will plummet.

According to a Tork survey, 90% of employees say that after taking a lunch break, they feel more refreshed to conquer the rest of the day. And they are not wrong. Here are some of the many benefits of taking breaks:

  • Increased productivity due to improved focus and energy
  • Stress relief and improved mental well-being
  • A creativity boost
  • More time for healthy habits like exercise and meditation

Write It Down

As a visionary, you will never know when inspiration will strike. It could be during movie night with your children or on a date night with your significant other. Instead of stopping what you are doing and essentially going back to work to ensure you don’t forget your idea, take a few minutes to write the idea down. Once you have written enough notes, put it away. Don’t pick that paper back up until you are ready to start your workday. You won’t feel like you are neglecting your ideas or your free time.

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