Is it possible to achieve work-life balance if you are trying to grow your business? Many people in this situation may think not. The pressures of keeping their business ticking over and their responsibility to their employees is most likely their highest priority. But, if as the business owner you are burning out, this could have massive repercussions on the success of your business. So how can ensure you still commit to your business while ensuring that you are taking care of everything else.
What even is “work-life balance”? Is it an equal split between paid employment and everything else? Is it having enough time to squeeze in the odd coffee with friend while working 100 hours a week? Is it actually a quantitative measure of time spent doing “x” which determines if your life is balanced? There are several areas to assess to see if you can make changes to give you a better balance:
- Review what is important to you and what you consider a more balanced lifestyle. This could be carving out time for the gym, picking up the kids from school or meeting friends for a coffee.
- Realise that commitments require a give and take. There are times when your business needs more attention, and other times where you need to be more present in your home life. Be flexible and act on these situations when they present themselves.
- If you feel that you can’t afford time away for a holiday, schedule “mini breaks”. These could be as little as half a day off during the week to surprise your children with a fun activity or catching up with friends for an early weekend away.
- Allow space to fail. As a business owner the pressure to succeed, to know all the answers and to see failure as something to be avoided at all costs can add pressure to an already stressful environment, as well as stifling freedom and creativity. Try to view issues within your business as an ebb and flow rather than working towards a successful solution. If things don’t go to plan, know that it is just a lesson on the way to success and learn from the situation.
These subtle adjustments can have a positive effect on your overall well-being. While the work life balance theory is enticing, it doesn’t leave room for the unpredictability of life. Rather than the quantitative approach, we can try to find areas of intellectual, emotional and spiritual balance that set ourselves up for a more meaningful life.
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