Something I get asked about often is how I balance work and personal life as an entrepreneur, and oh boy - this is a tough one. I'll start off with telling you what life was like for me when I first became an entrepreneur and then I'll explain where I am now and how I'm taking steps to get out of workaholism, and logging off when I need to step away and focus on my family.
When we moved to Finland, it was my first time experiencing being fully self-employed and I dove into it hard-core. I felt a strange guilt any time I was taking time to just sit and watch telly or wasn't actively doing something to progress my business. Which meant that any time I was spending at home, I was working. I would be sitting on the couch, watching tv with Kieran, and would have my laptop out, doing work at the same time. Or I would be constantly writing social media posts. Or replying to emails and messages the second (and I really mean second) they came through.
It got to the point where I noticed I was working a good twelve - fourteen hour work day, every day, unintentionally. And as I noticed this, I noticed that I wasn't ever really being present for my family who needed me at the time. I was neglecting the main reason I wanted to be self-employed in the first place - to have flexibility to be with my loved ones.
So I decided to make an intentional change. And here's some of the ways I made that change.
Just as a preface, I still struggle with these on a daily basis and am constantly trying to remind myself to step back into the real world whenever possible. So it's definitely not easy, and I definitely do not have it all figured out. These things have just helped me a little bit along the way.
No. One - Stepping away from social media.
Whether we like it or not, social media has become a pretty big part of most entrepreneur's lives. It's a marketing tool, but it's also enjoyable a lot of the time, so it can be hard to find the right balance on this one. But personally, in the beginning, I had to be really strict on myself. I had to set a time limit on how much I used the app, and tried my best to distribute that time throughout my day in order to get the most amount of engagement. But when I hit my limit - that was it.
No. Two - Having people who keep you accountable.
Once you make your time goals for how many hours you want to work - tell your partner or a friend when you have stopped working so that they can make sure you keep to it. I had Kieran tell me off any time I picked up my laptop or started typing an email to a client and it really helped in the long run because it reminded me consistently of why I was doing what I was doing.
No. Three - Keeping track of your work hours.
This is something I wish I had started doing a long long time ago. Whether it's through something like Timeular (which is an awesome tool, by the way), or simply through logging your hours manually or in your google calendar, make sure you are being honest with yourself about how much time you are actually spending working. It helps you set more realistic goals for yourself and also helps you be more efficient with the time you do spend.
No. Four - Prioritising what's important.
At the end of the day, it's about having your priorities straight and knowing that work is not your entire life. It can mean a whole lot to you, but if it were gone tomorrow - you would figure it out and be okay. Remind yourself every day of what you are fighting for in life and WHY you are doing what you're doing. Is your work worth losing your relationship, family or friends over?
The answer is probably not. So make sure to focus on ALL the things that are important to you, not just the work factor in it all.
No. Five - Figuring out hobbies and things you love to do outside of your work.
This one is a big one and a constant struggle and journey. As a very creative person, I realised that once photography became my job instead of just a hobby, I started to lose my passion for it in my day to day life. I was passionate about it when I was working but I really did not want to take photos outside of my job. But I needed to get that creative mojo back just for the kick of it.
So that's the reason I started vlogging and blogging again, because it's bringing me something additional to focus on that is separate to my business. Something to do while Kieran plays video games, something to do in day to day life that isn't stressful or centred around work.
So there you have it.
Those were my few tips on how to handle working as an entrepreneur and also having a social life and keeping yourself focused on the stuff that really matters.
What do you find helpful in your work vs. personal life balance struggle?
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