As an entrepreneur, your business is your livelihood, and all responsibility ultimately falls on you. Entrepreneurs like Steven Taylor, share a lot of qualities, but the traits that stand above them all are drive and work ethic. When you’re your own boss, or landlord, there is no clear clock out time at 5 pm. When there is a crisis, or a deal on the line, any time can become work-mode. As a result, finding a work-life balance can be challenging for many business owners.
This dynamic is even more challenging for entrepreneurs who are married or have a family. I love my work, but my family always comes first. Finding a way to balance both and prioritize each of them at the right moment is a practice that takes time. It is important to create the space to have quality time with family, while running a business, and also taking care of your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. To successfully handle all of these aspects of life, you may need to adjust your daily routine and habits.
Here are 3 tips for balancing business and family as an entrepreneur:
1. Wake up early.
Get up early. I suggest getting up and starting your day before anyone else is awake. This will give you time for a morning routine, and let you set your intentions and priorities for the day. Beginning the day with exercise, journaling, praying or meditation, and any other activities that contribute to you mental well-being will get you in a healthy mindset. This mindset will prepare you to divide or focus your attention throughout the day when needed.
2. Family time doesn’t get rescheduled.
Whether it is a family dinner, weekend hike, or evening bedtime stories, it is essential to set routine family time that is a part of your schedule. It is important to me that I spend the weekends being active with my wife and kids so that I can stay closely connected to them, no matter how busy I get. That time is in the calendar, and it does not get cancelled or rescheduled.
It is equally important to be present during these times. It’s one thing to be physically with your family, but remind yourself to really be in the moment, and listen. When your business is growing and you are under a lot of pressure, it can be difficult not to let your mind wander towards work mode. Accept the challenge to give your family your undivided attention when you make the choice to spend your time with them.
3. Delegate.
Founders often struggle to develop a balance between business and family because they are either afraid or too stubborn to give up control of their business.
To truly be able to give your family your undivided attention when you switch into “home-mode” you’ll need to let others take on some responsibility. While you should certainly be selective of who you work with, don’t let the fear of passing off tasks to someone else hold you back from living your life. You ultimately need to be able to teach someone else to handle part of the workload to run a scalable business. Otherwise, you’ll be struggling to find balance for the rest of your life.
Wise entrepreneurs are always looking for opportunities to delegate to those around them so that they can focus on the bigger picture – in their business, and in their family life.