𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫
It’s a common myth in the entrepreneurial world that to be successful, you need to devote 100% of your time, energy, and effort into your business. The romanticized idea of the founder who eats, sleeps and breathes their startup, grinding day and night to make it work. However, this notion of being in hustle mode 24/7 is simply not sustainable or healthy in the long run.
The truth is, entrepreneurship requires an immense amount of hard work, resilience and dedication. But it should not come at the expense of your mental, physical and emotional well-being. As an entrepreneur, one of the most valuable skills you can develop is the ability to achieve work-life balance. Here are some tips on how to do just that:
𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬
Be realistic about the number of hours you can healthily sustain while also taking care of your personal needs. Avoid falling into the trap of overworking yourself just because you think that’s what being an entrepreneur demands. Set clear work hours for yourself each day and stick to them.
𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬
Our minds and bodies need recovery periods in order to function at optimum levels. Make sure to take short breaks during work to stretch your legs, grab a snack or simply walk away from your computer. Also be diligent about taking longer breaks from work – take the weekends off, take a few proper vacations every year. Time away allows you to recharge and comeback feeling inspired and motivated.
𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩
Lack of sleep severely impacts your productivity and decision making abilities. Make getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep a priority everyday. Having proper rest ensures you have the energy and mental focus to tackle all your business challenges efficiently while also keeping stress at bay.
𝐄𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 & 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞
Entrepreneurship can be mentally and physically taxing. That’s why it’s crucial you provide your body the nourishment and activity it needs. Make time for healthy meals so you have the right fuel for peak performance. Try to exercise 3-4 times a week – even 20 minute walk or stretch session goes a long way towards managing stress.
𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
Be very intentional about when you are “working” versus when you are “living”. Set clear boundaries in terms of where and when you will engage in business tasks versus personal activities. For example, no checking emails past dinner time. Using time blocking methods can help create structure for work-life separation.
𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 & 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞
As an entrepreneur you simply cannot do everything yourself – and you certainly don’t have to. Leverage tools, services and even team members to take non-essential tasks off your plate so you can focus on high value priorities. Delegating not only gives you more free time, it also leads to working smarter.
𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Our environment has a massive impact on our mindset, motivation levels and overall outlook. Make sure your home office inspires rather than drains you. Decorate it with vision boards, meaningful quotes and personal memorabilia. Surrounding yourself with a workspace that aligns with your passion and purpose goes a long way keeping your entrepreneurial fire going.
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫
Having someone help keep you accountable as you work to achieve greater work-life balance is extremely useful, especially on days when you feel like giving up. An accountability partner – be it a business coach, mentor, friend or family member – can help keep you honest, motivated and on track.
𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭
Being a wildly successful entrepreneur does not require sacrificing health, relationships and happiness. Tune out any beliefs or societal pressures that say otherwise. Give yourself permission live a full, balanced life while also pursuing your business dreams. You can work passionately on your company without losing passion for living well.
𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕. 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈-𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎 𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆, 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔. 𝑺𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒕!