Entrepreneurs have the best and the worst set up. Being able to control your work, work whenever you want, and be your own boss offers you a great deal of freedom. But the flipside of that is that everything falls on you, and because you’re able to work anywhere, chances are you will work anywhere. Here are some of my top tricks for making sure you manage to maintain a work/life balance as an entrepreneur.
Clear boundaries
As an entrepreneur, you may feel like you have to bend to every request from your clients, especially when you’re first getting started. The fact that people want your services is exciting, and the idea of telling them no seems almost preposterous. But if you set clear boundaries from the outset, you’ll have a better work-life balance, and believe it or not, your client will probably appreciate it too.
“Empty” schedule
It’s okay to have time in the day where you aren’t doing anything. Always make sure you’re blocking out time on your calendar for yourself. Make sure you block out time that isn’t for work and don’t budge on it. I also recommend having two types of calendar appointments for your free time--time you spend accomplishing things, like cleaning your home or getting an oil change, and time you spend actively not accomplishing things, like meditating or binge-watching Criminal Minds.
Don’t take on too much
Yeah. Duh. But how do I make sure I don’t do that, Sam?
I recommend a couple of things. Trial and error will definitely come into play here. If you take on too many projects, you’ll know right away. If you don’t take on enough, you’ll know right away too--or at least your wallet will. Keep very detailed notes about how much time all of your tasks take you, and don’t take on too many of the ones that are time-consuming. Also? Take on as few of the boring ones as possible. Even if they don’t take too long, you’ll drag them out by dreading them.
Hint: this is a great place for a project manager to come in and help.
Remember your “why”
Becoming an entrepreneur doesn’t just happen overnight, and it also doesn’t happen for no reason. Maybe you had a bad boss or a toxic work environment, or maybe you had a huge dream and decided to start it for yourself. Are you saving up for a big trip? Keep track of how your business is helping you reach your goals. Are you running your own business so you can see your kids more? Keep their picture on your desk. Remembering why you’re doing what you do is going to help you to keep your life and work balanced, and it’ll make your work that much more rewarding.
If you’ve already figured out how to maintain a work/life balance, please share your secrets below. If you’re struggling with this, reach out! We’re here to make sure you stay balanced.
At Our Project Experience, we have a dedicated team to help get your project off the ground and reach your goals. Each client is paired with the perfect project manager, based on project requirements and how well we think you’ll work together. We’ll make sure your experience is a smooth and happy one, and you’ll have our full team at your fingertips. Learn more here.