Honorable Mentions

Work life balance is a myth! (buzzword) No one will ever get the idea of work life balance/boundaries perfect. It’s a process, not a destination.

In the entrepreneurial world, we like to achieve things (however that looks for you). This isn’t something that you’re going to achieve…it’s an ongoing process. Take a breath!

So what does this look like?

This process can be applied at any point in your entrepreneurial journey. Sometimes, when we first start out, we think we don’t deserve that. Hustle culture - not healthy! Constantly ongoing is not sustainable.

Your work-life balance goes in seasons. Just like seasons in the year, we have seasons in life. It’s okay to have a season of focus. Understanding that work life balance is never a balance but a counterbalance.

Think gymnastics - balance beam. You see that when you go to one side too far, you have to compensate for it. There’s always a pendulum swinging to keep something balanced.
Understand that different things are important at different seasons of your life. Our businesses is kind of like our babies. We have birthed them into existence and have lost sleep, tears, etc. of putting it out into the world.

What season are you in with your business and life? What are the most important things that need your attention now?

You’re always juggling a variety of things - work, hobbies, family, friends, health, etc. All of the balls except your work ball are glass. So if you drop the work ball, it will bounce back. If you drop the other ones, they can shatter and be irreparable. 

The more proactive you can be about setting your boundaries, priorities, etc. it makes reacting to a situation much more limited. Doing the proactive work can help you take a deep breath and step back to consider what will my reaction be rather than reacting off the cuff. How do you do that? Does something else get a different focus? It’s an ongoing process.

TIPS
- Understanding yourself is the best possible thing.
- You have control rather than waiting for someone else to be in control.
- Have the definition of being an independent contractor in your contract.
- Turn off notifications for social media, email, etc. on your phone so you only see them within your hours.
- Use a timer so you can focus on your work for whatever length of time without having to worry you’re going to miss an appointment. You don’t need to watch the clock.
- Use auto-responders for email

These boundaries set us up to be more successful in all areas of our lives. You should not feel like you are doing business on someone else’s terms. That’s the benefit of being an entrepreneur. There are as many ways to do business as there are people to do it. You do what works best for you. You will see it in your response, growth of your business, etc.