Eight Tips For Building Your Business While Balancing A Personal Life

As an entrepreneur, you may come to realize that certain aspects of your personal and social life have to be put on the back burner to get your business off the ground. Neglecting your personal life can come at a cost, though.
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New entrepreneurs may experience burnout and have a greater chance of giving up on their businesses entirely if they can’t find better work-life balance. If you're heading toward burnout because of your business, follow these recommendations from eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Below, they give their best tips for retaining time for loved ones and rest while still building a successful business. 

1. Figure Out What's Most Important To You

I believe everyone needs to find balance in life to be happy, productive and fulfilled. Balance is not about having equal time for everything, but understanding what you find most important in life and then finding time for each one of these areas in a weekly or monthly cycle. You might not always be able to find the perfect amount of time to spend on each area, but finding some time will make you feel more in control and definitely a lot happier. - Zane Stevens, Protea Financial 

2. Invest In Cloud-Based Tools

The smartest thing that you, as an entrepreneur, can do is to invest in cloud-based tools that let you work from anywhere with an internet connection. You can also use voice-based tools, tablets and other remote technology to work while you're at home or on the go. Doing so can help you work during downtime. But you're also able to drop your work to meet friends and do activities with your family. Just remember to be present and to focus on the people you're with and not on your work. Having remote tools is not an excuse to detach from conversations to check your phone or send emails or do other work. - Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner 

3. Separate Your Work And Home Tech
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You can easily manage your work-home life by having separate tech for your job. I used the same computer for browsing and work for years. When I wanted to casually browse YouTube, I would find myself looking at work emails, reviewing spreadsheets and doing a bunch of other stuff that could have totally waited until the next day. After purchasing a computer specifically for work tasks, I found that I had so much more free time. Even better, I didn't feel pressured to work during my time off. - John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC 

4. Set Boundaries

Boundaries instill confidence and help you learn how to prioritize better in your business and personal life. When I started my business from my clinical office, I set boundaries during my downtime and lunchtime. I worked on my business while working full time by fitting in regular and random times to focus on my messaging and conduct market research. In retrospect, I wish I set better boundaries for working hours. I often worked late into the evening, and this impacted my personal life. I wish that I stopped working at a specific hour, which would have helped my brain unplug. I did schedule weekend times to rock climb with friends and I made sure to run at least five to six times a week. Incorporating boundaries around exercise and movement helped my energy levels. - Libby Rothschild, Dietitian Boss

5. Schedule In Your Personal Time

Most entrepreneurs have a tight schedule and they definitely miss out on things in their personal lives. If you don't want that to happen, try to schedule some personal time in your calendar no matter how hectic your schedule is. It can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as you think is possible. It's the best way to find some free time in which you spend time doing things you really enjoy. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster 

6. Establish Set Working Hours

I think every business owner has put in more hours than they intended and sacrificed time with friends and family. I've found myself in this situation more times than I would like to admit. In my experience, the best way to balance your time is to establish precise work hours, even if you're working from home. If you allow yourself to work at 3 a.m. or 3 p.m., you're asking for random intrusions in your free time. However, establishing clear guidelines like, "I will not start work before 8 a.m. and I won't work after 6 p.m.," can help you get a handle on your schedule and secure more time in your personal life.  - Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights

7. Avoid Getting Caught Up In Busy Work

A lot of new entrepreneurs mistake being busy with being productive. In most cases, people occupy themselves with busy work, procrastinate and otherwise waste time. In reality, if you focus during work hours and use time-blocking and other productivity tools, you'll get important work done within reasonable working hours—and you will have time for family. Better yet, schedule time for your family as part of your weekly tasks. If you have clear goals and tasks and focus when you're on the job, balancing your personal life and growing your business will be possible. - Blair Williams, MemberPress

8. Recognize Your Limitations

Don't try to do it all alone. While you may be the best at what you do, you can't do it all. A part of being a successful entrepreneur is delegating. You need to be able to identify what only you can do to grow the business and what you can outsource. For example, when things began to go well for my business, I started to hire more people so I could work on growing the business while not being in the business. This meant I could build the business without getting bogged down in the day-to-day tasks. This not only allowed me to continue to cultivate an overall vision for my company, but it also opened up more time for me to enjoy my family. Learning to delegate can be hard for an entrepreneur who naturally likes to have control, but it is essential for maintaining balance and perspective. - Shu Saito, SpiroPure



Source: forbes.com

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