Achieving a Good Work/Life Balance
When was the last time you took a vacation or a couple of days or a few hours off? Are you one of those entrepreneurs who revels in 60- to 70-hour weeks? Sure, you have to work hard for your business to succeed, but is it really necessary to drive yourself so hard?
It’s something you should think about, because in the long run, your productivity and work satisfaction may suffer if you don’t strike a good balance between your work life and your personal life.
If you’re looking to achieve a better balance in your life, try some of these ideas:
Staff up and delegate. Think you have to do it all? Make a list of all the things you do that could be handled just as well by someone else; then hire someone to handle those duties. This is a hard thing to do for many people. But the truth is that if you’re spreading yourself too thin, you’re probably not performing at your best, especially with the really important duties. Add staff or delegate so you can focus on your most crucial responsibilities.
Restrict your work travel. Travel is disruptive to your relationships, so set a limit for the number of days you’ll be out of town overnight each month and then stick to it. Let someone else in the company go, make it a day trip or don’t go at all. If it helps, remind yourself that eliminating unnecessary trips saves the business money.
Take real vacations. If you go away with your laptop, cell phone and every other gadget that enables you to stay in touch with the office, it isn’t really a vacation. Leave work tools at home and don’t tell your staff where you’re going. (OK, tell one trusted person just in case there’s a real emergency.) Then go have some fun.
Your productivity and work satisfaction may suffer if you don’t strike a good balance between your work life and your personal life.
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