As time goes on, more and more employers realize the importance of the work-life balance. They realize their employees may feel exhausted and stressed when worrying about the job outside of normal working hours. Various companies have started using flexible working hours and encouraging their employees to not do work once they go home for the evening.
While these improvements are great and usually easy to manage for larger companies, for entrepreneurs it can be a lot more challenging. Entrepreneurs must constantly focus on their growing businesses and are usually less likely to trust other people to help them accomplish tasks that they feel are important. At the same time, entrepreneurs work many more hours than a typical 40 hour week and working a 9 to 5 is a far-off dream because the business requires such constant attention. Below, I’ll offer three tips that can help entrepreneurs with preventing the work-life pendulum from swinging to drastically to the work side.
Know when to tap out
For entrepreneurs, the most beneficial thing you can do is know when it’s time to take a break. Running a small business can become incredibly overwhelming and at a certain point you’ll no longer be productive. Knowing when you’ve reached your limit is important, so then you can take a step back and breath. Leave the desk, turn off your computer and phone, and relax. Find a peaceful place outside and spend time there. Don’t worry about work and take time to breath. Discover what works best for you in regards to relaxation and do that. It might be yoga, meditation, a walk outside, or pleasure reading. Writing in a journal can also be incredibly soothing. What’s important is finding something that’ll stop you from stressing over work, so when you finally go back, you can look at everything with a fresh perspective.
Hire great employees
Many entrepreneurs spend so much time working because they feel as though they can’t delegate tasks to their employees. Try to avoid this pitfall and remember that a sign of a successful leader is delegating. One person can’t do it all; especially when it comes to running a business! Having workers you sincerely trust will make your life a lot easier and help you attain a great work-life balance. To fix this issue, make sure you hire people you have confidence in when it comes to completing tasks. Begin delegating small tasks and observe how your employees perform on these tasks, then begin to trust them with larger responsibilities. Your workers will appreciate this show of trust on your part, and you’ll feel less worried about work.
Communicate what you need
Ultimately, communication is vitally important. Whether it’s talking to your employees about what you need from them, or discussing with your spouse how they can help out, being able to effectively communicate your needs to other people will help those needs get met. Don’t be afraid to talk to people, especially when you feel overwhelmed. Your family is there for you and wants to help and see you succeed. Learn to communicate and the work-life balance will become much easier!