Work-Life Balance: Ways Your Real Life Impacts Business

What makes up who you are as an entrepreneur? For some of it, you might have been born with. But for the rest (better or worse), it has been acquired in the past or come from habits you do on a regular basis. Being single versus being married is going to shift your entrepreneurial track slightly. Having kids or not, being a crossfitter or a couch potato, your ability to manage stress, and everything else all plays a role in what kind of entrepreneur you are.

This doesn’t mean you should make every part of your life work for your career. However, it is important to understand how; for example, your addiction to caffeine is one of the many managers of your small business. Check out Life Hack’s list of daily good habits and see which ones you can start practicing. Here’s a smidgeon of just how your life plays with your career goals:

Your Romantic Relationship(s)

Most people have experienced a time when they let their romantic lives overtake everything else. Maybe you were mentally checked out, exhausted from lack of quality sleep, or physically couldn’t get to work after a hard breakup. As Psychology Today reports, love addiction is a very real thing—but everyone goes over the moon from time to time. Healthy love and romance is good, but bear in mind that your romantic relationship will affect your small business. With the reported 30% rise in working from home and hours for millennials, you have to prioritize work over relationships.

Your Children

Kids come first, no exceptions. This can slow down your entrepreneurial track. You shouldn’t miss out on the big moments, like dance recitals and graduations, just because work is calling. A lot of people try to multi-task (like starting a business from home while simultaneously helping with homework), but Business Insider reports that almost no one can actually multi-task. Well, at least not efficiently. You need to accept that you’ll have less time for entrepreneurial pursuits if you have kids, but it can help keep you balanced.

Your Physical Health

Working out a moderate amount (around 150 minutes per week) shouldn’t be an optional chore. It’s part of taking care of yourself, your health and ultimately your business. There will be the occasional days when you need to skip a run or lifting session for something like an investor meeting. However, don’t use your entrepreneurial dreams as an excuse to let your physical health go. It’s just as important as that daily shower.

Your “Me Time”

If you’re an entrepreneur, there’s already a good chance you’re totally a Type-A and overworking yourself. As serial entrepreneur John Rampton suggests, “every single human needs down time where you’re not working, not stressing out and not planning. This can be hard for some entrepreneurs to achieve, which is why you need to schedule it in just like you do meetings and doctor appointments. At least 30 minutes each day should be dedicated to slowing down. The difference between a successful entrepreneur and one that fails is knowing how much ‘me time’ is needed each month”.

Your Other Passion Projects

Maybe you started a small business based on search engine optimization (SEO), but you’re also an avid hiker or quilter. Maybe you love trivia nights, or long biking sessions. Make sure there’s still time for all of your hobbies and passion projects. Otherwise, tunnel vision comes into play and suddenly you resent your business or start to burn out.

Everyone has the same hours in the day (even Oprah), so make each one count. Aim for balance, and trust your gut when you feel something’s off. If you don’t take care of all aspects of your life, your business will pay the price.

Work-Life Balance: Ways Your Real Life Impacts Business