6 Simple Tips For Better Work-Life Balance
For many business owners, one of the biggest challenges is separating their work from their family and social life. The following are six proven strategies to keep your home life running smoothly while keeping your business on track.
1. First, create a work schedule and stick with it
It may be tempting to answer personal calls during the day or take business calls after-hours, but doing this actually shows that you’re expendable–not dependable–and people will take for granted that you’ll always be there for any little things that come up. Even though family comes first, stay true to your business hours, and resist the urge to chat with friends or pick up groceries during working hours.
2. Train your family and friends to respect your work time
Your friends may consider working from home an invitation to chat during the day or just go out for coffee or shopping for an afternoon. Make it clear that your business hours are just for business. Leave personal calls for after-hours, and you’ll find that your friends will gradually accept your schedule without feeling slighted.
3. Find the schedule that work the best for you
Just because you have to set up a work schedule doesn’t mean that you have to keep the same hours as everyone else. One of the benefits of working for yourself is setting your own hours to fit your most productive times. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, you’ll find that you’ll get much more done when you’re attuned to your body’s own natural rhythms. Some people work in the morning, take a break in the afternoon when the kids are home from school, and work again in the evening. Schedule your work time when you feel the most productive, and you’ll find that things get done easier, faster, and better than when you were dragging along during those same rigid work hours that everyone else has.
4. Consider getting a separate business line
If getting after-hours business calls or workday personal calls is a problem, it helps to have a separate business phone line, or at least an answering machine or voice mail, to take the incoming calls. This also gives your business a more professional appearance to clients than if you and your family make and receive calls from the same phone line.
5. Set up a separate work space
If at all possible, try to separate your home office from the rest of your home. If you don’t have the luxury of a separate room, a room partition or screen can be just as helpful. This also serves as a visual cue to family that you’re working and shouldn’t be bothered.
6. Dress and act professionally while working
Some people find it helpful to dress in casual business attire during their working hours. This reinforces that just because you’re working from home doesn’t make you any less of a professional. Answer the phone with your name, or business name, and keep your children off the phone during business hours. Also, spend money investing in the tools you need to do your job right. A cell phone, fax machine, or even a budget computer can help turn your home office into a true workspace.
If you follow all of these tips and stick with them, chances are you’ll find a routine that not only makes you feel productive and active in your business, but also projects the message that you mean business literally!
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