If you are like most solopreneurs you started your business with the intent of helping or making your family life better. However, balancing work and family life is one of the hardest things to manage.
The conflict between work and family life can be one of the most common sources of stress. It is important to find that balance between both. Here are just a few tips to finding your equilibrium.
Establishing limits and boundaries
Boundaries are a line of protection to draw around yourself. Determine what is acceptable for you and your family. As solopreneurs, we tend to always be in work mode. If we are not working, it’s in the back of our mind. To help solve this, set office hours and retrain your work brain to think within those hours.
Stop answering text messages and emails outside your business hours. If you feel the need to answer then schedule the message to send the next business morning. Both text and emails have delayed sending features. When you answer your clients within your set hours they will always know when to expect to hear from you.
If you work from home the lines can get blurry. I recommend staying out of your office, den, or corner of the room you occupy when you are not working. That will help avoid the temptation.
Without boundaries in place, it is difficult to say “No”.
Build a support network inside the office and outside
Utilize your team, family and close friends to build a support network. This will help you stay on top of the balance and provide you with the positive push that can be necessary for our busy lives.
Organization
The more you organize your day the more you can accomplish. Assign tasks to a dedicated day of the week. Accounting will be Fridays mornings. Networking is Wednesdays. If that’s getting too detailed for you, create a task list and highlight what “has to be done today”.
Be reasonable with your lists. It’s easy to try to cram too much into one day. A little tip to note is block time for the random pop-ups that occur to all solopreneurs.
The more organized you are with the day the easier it is to feel a sense of accomplishment. You can confidentially walk away from the “work” day without the guilt of what should have been done weighing on you.
Sometimes you are unable to find the balance
Stuff happens. Emergencies will pop-up, don’t beat yourself up over it. A family member may be sick or there is a deadline you need to meet at work. Take note and learn from the situation to better manage it next time.
Get help
Free up your day by delegating your work. Stop trying to fight that uphill battle of doing everything yourself. If you have redundant tasks or something you struggle to do, then find a virtual assistant to complete them and take the burden off your shoulders.
Don’t know how to delegate?
Try this short exercise on how to start delegating.
With the support of your family and implementing these few tips, you can find that happy balance.