The act of balancing life and work can be difficult to achieve, but it doesn’t have to be. Below we have listed 7 tips for business owners on how to balance life and work.
1. Create a To-Do List
Creating a to-do list can make your business more organised and will help you and your employees prioritise certain tasks, which can streamline your workday and responsibilities. Make sure you're completing the tasks on the list, otherwise, they'll continue into the next day or week and just end up making you more overworked.
2. Have two separate phones
Living in an era where smartphones exist can make it difficult to leave work at work, especially if you're working from home. But you need to separate your work from your personal life to truly find a balance. Having only one phone for work as well as for your private life can make switching off impossible. Failing to switch off can lead to burnout which can be detrimental to your performance.
3. Automation tools and software
Business Process Management software has the capability to optimise and automate your business processes. There is a multitude of automation activities that are specifically designed to make your life easier and to help you balance life and work. The initiation and approval of all financial and operational transactions ensure transparency and visibility to provide quality outcomes and reliable results.
Automation and integration tools focus on automating data input and having your independent ERP, operational systems and external data speak directly to each other. You, the business owner, are thus enabled to focus your valuable and often limited resources on building and growing your business instead of wasting time on manual tasks. Having such a tool at your disposal will maximise your entire team's productivity, decrease human error and eliminate the need to re-do work - enabling you to focus on finding a balance between work and life.
Let us help you find the perfect solution for your specific business needs. Contact us to schedule an information session with you or read here for more information on the different options you have at your disposal.
4. Delegate smaller tasks to other team members
In most cases, a lack of balance occurs when a boss thinks that they need to have a hand in every single thing that happens within the company. Instead of putting everything on your own shoulders, you will be able to have a decent work-life balance by delegating tasks to other team members.
5. Leave work at a reasonable hour
Each business is unique, so it’s hard to know how many hours you should work. You might be feeling guilty if you think you haven’t put in enough time at your business but working longer hours doesn’t always mean you’re being more productive. To help prevent you from getting overworked, you can pick a set number of hours a day that you’ll spend working on your business. The time you spend away from work is important for your health, and it may actually increase your overall productivity. If you work long hours each day, you’re at a greater risk of health issues. According to a 2019 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, these can include sleep loss, heart disease, and obesity. That’s is why it’s important to leave work at a reasonable hour.
6. Say No (and keep saying No)
Saying no is a vital skill to learn when you're a business owner. It can be very easy to say YES to every opportunity, every client, every task that comes your way. It can be hard, even terrifying, to say no. But in order to have any chance of keeping your head above water, saying no is important.
7. Take vacations
Freedom (financial and other) is a big reason why you start your business in the first place. So, if you can’t take a vacation, you probably don’t have the success you were seeking when you started the business. Design your business so that you CAN get away. Through strategy, leadership, and automation you can absolutely take vacations. And your business will actually prosper in your absence.
Achieving a work-life balance is not impossible. In fact, we believe that by implementing the above rules in your own life and business, you can quite easily achieve the balance and lifestyle you seek.
Although balancing life and work can make you feel like you're walking on a tight rope, let us automate your business functions for you so that you can spend time enjoying the fruits of your labour. Get in touch to find out which solution best suits your business needs.
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