Finding An Entrepreneur Work-Life Balance

It is vital for everyone to find a balance between their work life and personal life—and this is especially true for entrepreneurs. This requires a shift in mindset. Sometimes, we get stuck in a certain mindset and become stagnant. However, when we shift our mindset to become more flexible, we notice more opportunities for change. 

Finding the ideal entrepreneur work-life balance can take practice and time—and may even require sacrifice. For instance, if you decide to work longer hours, you may miss out on quality family time. Of course, you would likely make more money. Likewise, you may choose to spend more time out of the office with your family and, as a result, may not make as much money. The sacrifices required to find a work-life balance are not always the same and vary from person to person. 

Entrepreneur Work-Life Balance

Where do your priorities lie? Finding entrepreneur work-life balance may seem difficult.  What do you value the most? It may be helpful to jot these down to get a good idea of what is most important to you. This can help you organize your thoughts. It may take a few days to find out what is truly important to you. Try not to rush this process and allow your thoughts to flow freely. Keeping a journal on hand will help you take down ideas that may come to you and can also allow you to perform writing exercises. Begin ranking your priorities or putting them into categories.  

Find Your Own Definition of Success

With social media and a lot of online involvement, it can be difficult to stop comparing ourselves to others. We may see a post pop up and think to ourselves, “I wish I could have that.” While some comparisons lead to the competition—which may be beneficial—it is best to try to avoid comparing ourselves to others altogether when it comes to success. Your definition of success will not be the same as the person next to you. 

In order to define what success means to you, it is essential to delve into yourself. Success may mean having the freedom to take off work as needed. Success may mean pulling in enough money to take family vacations every year. Definitions vary, depending on the person. 

Remain Flexible

It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but it is important to try to remain flexible. Flexibility is relative: how flexible you can depend on your individual situation. Understand that, for entrepreneurs, the need to be flexible falls under both the goals and mindset categories. 

Recognize that your goals may change, both short- and long-term. Your definition of success may change over time as you reach goals. Remaining flexible requires more than just establishing a mindset. It can require you to create action plans for worst-case scenarios or shift priorities to better suit goals. Lay down the groundwork so that flexibility is more than just a choice; it is a plan. Remaining flexible is not always easy, but it will help to boost your success. 

Optimize Your Team

Having a team that you can trust behind you is essential when you are an entrepreneur. While this notion can apply to employees, it can also apply to your network in general. “You have to know how to do everything yourself first and then teach someone else to do it how you like it,” explains Dr. Sheila Nazarian, as part of the Optimized Success podcast series with Cyndi Garza. 

She goes on to explain that optimizing your team starts with yourself. If someone on your team needs a day off or quits unexpectedly, you need procedures in place to fill in the missing pieces. Having the knowledge to properly train your team, as well as maintaining that knowledge, is a great foundation to have. 

Celebrate the Small Victories

We spend a lot of time when we set up our vision and detail our goals. It takes a great deal of mental effort. On the other hand, when we reach goals, that effort to push forward seems to dissipate. It is not uncommon for milestones to go uncelebrated. However, even the smallest victories deserve a pat on the back. 

As an entrepreneur, the road may be a little bumpy with perhaps some setbacks along the way. You may feel that you should have reached a milestone sooner or that it is not quite what you envisioned. Though you may not have estimated time accurately, it does not mean that a celebration is not deserved for reaching a goal. Allow yourself time—even if just a moment—to take in the accomplishment. 

Stay True to Your Vision

One thing that can hamper an entrepreneur’s mindset and potentially steer them off course is self-doubt. Self-doubt can creep up when we least expect it and make us question our decisions. This can prevent us from propelling ourselves forward, expanding our businesses, and reaching goals we had previously laid out. It is important to recall the vision we outlined for ourselves to help with the decision-making process. Having a clear vision is essential, as it can help us stay true to our goals. 

Finding a balance between work life and personal life is not always easy and can sometimes take time. However, it is essential for entrepreneurs to find this balance. Avoid getting stuck in a fixed mindset and try to remain flexible in daily life. Celebrate the accomplishments you achieve and never stop trying to reach the goals you laid out for yourself.