When you’re just starting off running your own work-from-home business, work can easily take precedence over everything else. Maintaining a steady work-life balance helps you work more efficiently and ensures you get time off to relax and de-stress. Here’s how to strike the right balance and make sure you don’t burn out.
Take Time Off…and Stay Off
When you are off work, be totally off work. Don’t check your email. Turn off notifications. Try to not even think about your job. Everything related to your business should be done only during designated “work” time. If you think of something you need to do, put it on your to-do list for the next day.
Make a Schedule (Even Though You Don’t Need To)
One of the great things about running your own business is that you don’t need to stick to the 9-5 schedule anymore. However, it can be helpful to create a work schedule anyway. This helps by clarifying the division between work and non-work time. You can also create a ritual for starting and stopping work to make the transition. Set a schedule that works for your business and your life.
Prioritize Tasks
One of the main reasons work often spills over into leisure time is that we don’t prioritize effectively and tasks take longer than expected. When you’re on business time, create a priority list to ensure you get the most important things done well ahead of quitting time.
Learn Time Management Techniques
With only a certain amount of time to spend on your business each day, you have to make the best use of this time. It’s beneficial to learn some basic time management techniques. For example, decide how long each task should take. This keeps you from spinning wheels and wasting your precious working time. Look also for ways to delegate, automate, and trim tasks that aren’t totally necessary.
Work Efficiently
In addition to time management, think of some ways you can improve your efficiency to get more done during your work day. Try your best to cut out distractions. Set breaks throughout the day to refresh yourself and maintain concentration, but put a time limit on them. If there’s something you need to do that’s not related to your business, schedule a time to do it as a break or after work is done.
Learn How to Cope with Stress
Learn some methods to help you cope with stress when you experience it. You can use these as little breaks throughout the day or as a way to transition from working to non-working time. Easy ideas include short walks, simple exercises you can do at your desk, or basic meditation techniques.
There is no perfect work-life balance. It’s something you have to keep working on as you grow your business. But you will get better at it over time and it will benefit both your business and your personal life.
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