If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you probably find it hard to balance work and personal/family time.
You’re always “on,” always working to build your business, and when you’re not at your computer or on the phone, you’re thinking about your business. You may feel like you can never unplug.
That’s not sustainable, of course–you need to take care of yourself if you want to be successful in the long term. So how do you find that balance?
Why do work-life boundaries matter?
When work starts encroaching on our personal time, it can cause all sorts of problems. We can feel overwhelmed and stressed, like we’re not doing either job well. We can start to resent our jobs, or our families. We can feel like we’re constantly behind and that we never have enough time for anything.
All of these problems are caused by a lack of clear boundaries between our work and personal lives. When we don’t set limits on how much work we do, or how much time we spend thinking or talking about work when we’re not at work, the two bleed into each other until it’s hard to tell them apart. And that’s bad for both our work and personal lives.
How can I set boundaries?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but here are some general tips for setting work-life boundaries:
1. Make a list of the activities that are important to you and make sure work doesn’t dominate them all. If you like to spend time with your family, exercise, or read, make sure your job doesn’t keep you from doing those things.
2. Set specific limits on how much time you’re willing to spend working each day/week/month. Once you’ve set those limits, stick to them.
3. Don’t check your email or take work calls when you’re not at work. This is one of the most important boundaries to set. When we’re constantly checking work email or taking calls, it’s hard to ever really “switch off” from work.
4. Take time for yourself every day. This could be a walk, reading, yoga, or just time spent relaxing.
5. Make time for your job and your family/personal life to overlap. This doesn’t mean you have to be at home every night for dinner, but try to find times when you can talk about non-work things with your family, or take a break from work to spend time with them.
The most important thing is to be honest with yourself about what’s important to you and what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to have a successful career. There’s no right or wrong answer, but you need to find a balance that works for you. And if that balance changes over time, that’s okay too. You can always adjust your boundaries as needed.
When it comes to work-life balance, we entrepreneurs often have a love-hate relationship with the blurred lines between the two. We love the flexibility and freedom our businesses offer, but hate how easily work can take over our lives if we’re not careful.
It’s not sustainable to be “on” all the time, and when work starts encroaching on our personal time we can start to feel overwhelmed and stressed. We can also start to resent our jobs or our families.
The key to finding balance is setting clear boundaries between our work and personal lives. When we don’t set limits, the two bleed into each other until it’s hard to tell them apart. And that’s bad for both our work and personal lives.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but here are some general tips for setting work-life boundaries:
How can you set effective work-life boundaries?
1. Make a list of the activities that are important to you and make sure work doesn’t dominate them all. If you like to spend time with your family, exercise, or read, make sure your job doesn’t keep you from doing those things.
2. Set specific limits on how much time you’re willing to spend working each day/week/month. Once you’ve set those limits, stick to them.
3. Don’t check your email or take work calls when you’re not at work. This is one of the most important boundaries to set. When we’re constantly checking work email or taking calls, it’s hard to ever really “switch off” from work.
4. Take time for yourself every day. This could be a walk, reading, yoga, or just time spent relaxing.
5. Make time for your job and your family/personal life to overlap. This doesn’t mean you have to be at home every night for dinner, but try to find times when you can talk about non-work things with your family, or take a break from work to spend time with them.
The most important thing is to be honest with yourself about what’s important to you and what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to have a successful career. There’s no right or wrong answer, but you need to find a balance that works for you. And if that balance changes over time, that’s okay too. You can always adjust your boundaries as needed.
When it comes to work-life balance, we entrepreneurs often have a love-hate relationship with the blurred lines between the two. We love the flexibility and freedom our businesses offer, but hate how easily work can take over our lives if we’re not careful.
It’s not sustainable to be “on” all the time, and when work starts encroaching on our personal time we can start to feel overwhelmed and stressed. We can also start to resent our jobs or our families.
The key to finding balance is setting clear boundaries between our work and personal lives. When we don’t set limits, the two bleed into each other until it’s hard to tell them apart. And that’s bad for both our work and personal lives.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but here are some general tips for setting work-life boundaries:
What happens when you don’t set boundaries?
If you don’t set boundaries, work can easily take over your life. You may find yourself working all the time and not having any time for yourself or your family. You may also start to resent your job or your family.
It’s important to set limits so that you can have a successful career and still have a life outside of work. When you don’t set boundaries, work and personal life become one and the same and that’s not good for anyone.
The most important thing is to be honest with yourself about what’s important to you and what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to have a successful career. There’s no right or wrong answer, but you need to find a balance that works for you. And if that balance changes over time, that’s okay too. You can always adjust your boundaries as needed.
When it comes to work-life balance, we entrepreneurs often have a love-hate relationship with the blurred lines between the two. We love the flexibility and freedom our businesses offer, but hate how easily work can take over our lives if we’re not careful.
It’s not sustainable to be “on” all the time, and when work starts encroaching on our personal time we can start to feel overwhelmed and stressed. We can also start to resent our jobs or our families.
Conclusion
The key to finding balance is setting clear boundaries between our work and personal lives. When we don’t set limits, the two bleed into each other until it’s hard to tell them apart. And that’s bad for both our work and personal lives.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but here are some general tips for setting work-life boundaries:
* Establish how much time you’re willing to spend working each day/week/month. Once you’ve set those limits, stick to them.
* Don’t check your email or take work calls when you’re not at work. This is one of the most important boundaries to set. When we’re constantly checking
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