Last Updated on March 14, 2024 by Jawad Ali
In today’s busy world, it’s becoming increasingly hard to find the right balance between family and work.
That’s even doubly more true when you are running your own business since you are practically your own boss, and things almost never go according to a 9-to-5 schedule.
So, how do you find the right balance and those extra moments you need so you can spend more time with your family?
Read on to find out.
First, Realise You Need a Better Work-Life Balance
When you have family, and you also run your own business, it can be easy to be consumed by work in the name of supporting your loved ones. Ironically, this is precisely the thing that’s going to prevent you from being a good parent.
After all, nothing is as important for the healthy psychological development of children as spending quality time with their parents. So, being busy most of the time and thus absent from your kids’ lives surely isn’t an option.
Furthermore, becoming obsessed with work, doing long hours, and neglecting to take proper care of yourself and your family can lead to stress and burnout, both of which are detrimental to you and your family.
So, striving for and creating more balance in your life is definitely the thing you need to aim for in order to stay on top of work and not miss out on being part of the lives of your loved ones.
Here are some of the best ideas to help you achieve that:
Planning and Scheduling Are the Key
Let’s face it, organising your time more effectively is one of the best things you can do to find a better work-life balance.
Without planning and organisation, there is no effectiveness, there are no priorities, and, most importantly, there’s always a lack of time.
It’s an unwritten law of the Universe that your day is always going to bend towards being chaotic if you don’t run it from a thoughtfully planned schedule.
Doubly so when you’re running your own business and new and unforeseen things are constantly colliding with your plans and daily priorities.
So, when it comes to work, the first thing you need to do is to identify your most important tasks and establish clear work priorities and non-negotiables. Analyse your day and determine which habits and routines are no longer useful and simply need to go.
You will also want to get into the habit of tracking your day, whether on your phone or on paper, where you record every single thing you did that day. Once your working hours are almost over, you can quickly go over your notes and review how you did.
Chances are you will notice you did much more than you thought, and, as a result, you will feel good about the day and much less stressed out.
Establish Clear Work Priorities and Non-Negotiables
Establishing clear work priorities is vital if you want to get done as much as possible in as little time as possible, and also free up some time in your day to spend with your family.
Make a list of all daily work tasks and activities that you do and spend some time analysing every single one to determine your priorities.
Ask yourself, what 20% of my daily activities contribute to 80% of the results? Those are your most important tasks and also what you need to focus on to be more productive.
When you have identified the most important tasks–congratulations–you now know what constitutes a successful workday! As a result, you will be much calmer and less anxious because once you review your day, you will know exactly how much work you’ve done.
Knowing the most important tasks can also help you to break them down into small, manageable chunks, which can then be handled more easily by you and your employees.
Even better, celebrating the small wins when you do reach the various small victories along the way towards the big one will also contribute to higher team morale, increased productivity, and provide a much-needed feeling of progress, which makes hitting the big mark more likely.
Learn the Art of Time-Blocking
This is one of the most effective productivity techniques, especially in this day and age, where we’re constantly bombarded with information and easily distracted.
You essentially begin by setting a specific time of the day when you focus on thematically similar tasks without interruptions.
For example, maybe you answer emails on Tuesdays, or you do your most creative thinking first thing in the morning since you noticed that’s when you’re most productive.
This is going to help you avoid the cognitive price your brain pays when you’re constantly switching between different types of tasks back and forth, which is also one of the main contributors to burnout.
As a result, you will be much more productive and less stressed out.
Lastly, don’t forget to give your brain a brief rest between two time-block sessions. Even better, take those 20-30-minute breaks to effectively recover by doing some sort of cardio exercise or simply by taking a walk in the park.
You’ll be surprised how much more invigorated you feel after this and how your entire day goes much more smoothly.
Reduce the Work, Trust Your Employees
Building a great team means nothing if you feel like you have to do the bulk of the work and micromanage everything.
After all, if you’ve given them the correct tools and the training, they should be more than capable of handling any task you assign to them.
Knowing when to delegate some of your work responsibilities is key to freeing up time and mental resources but also making your employees rise to the challenge, which will make them more productive and responsible.
Furthermore, sometimes it makes sense to outsource experts outside your franchise in order to finish a specific task more quickly and efficiently.
Automation, wherever possible, can revolutionise how your business operates and also give you those precious moments of free time you so desperately seek as a parent.
In general, automating all mundane and repetitive tasks will not only save hours of your workday but will also free up mental resources better spent on other, more beneficial tasks.
When assessing which aspect of your business you can automate, look into things such as chatbots, automated email responses and campaigns and sales processes, AI tools, and implementing a customised CRM system designed specifically for your franchise.
Reducing your workload by delegating, outsourcing, and automating will definitely make your business much more effective and resilient, but, most importantly, it will free up your schedule so you can spend more time with your loved ones.
After all, that’s the essence of working smarter, not harder.
Don’t Forget to Schedule Time for Self-Care
In this hectic day and age, properly taking care of yourself is becoming one of the most important skills business owners need to master in order to continue being successful and effective at what they do for the long haul.
This means identifying and scheduling the practices that are most beneficial to your well-being as a person.
It also means establishing clear working and non-working hours and sticking to them so you avoid toiling away into evenings and weekends, for that will rob you of family time and push you towards burnout.
Scheduling some “me time”, even if it’s for half an hour a day, can do wonders for your mood and energy. After all, everyone needs some unstructured time in their day–to unwind, rest, and recover, even if they’re a busy garden franchise owner and a parent. Even more so when they’re both.
Take up a hobby, like creating your very own fantastic garden, or go for a run in the park to clear your head from the busy work day. Maybe all you need is to pick up an interesting book and get lost in the story for a little while.
The important thing is to set some time in the day to do what recharges and reinvigorates you. Sure, it may sound counter-intuitive, but in reality, everyone else will benefit from you taking care of yourself.
Why?
Because taking care of yourself means you’ve got more to give, and you’ll be more fun to be around. That old saying that you can’t pour from an empty cup is true for a reason. So, fill it first, and then let everyone else benefit from the overflow.
Getting Help from Others
No one does it alone. Everyone needs a little help, sometimes, just like the song goes, and there’s no shame in admitting it.
In fact, realising this is a prerequisite to becoming a better business owner, time manager, and most importantly, a better parent and partner.
Having a reliable family member or a babysitter coming over a few times a week to watch over the kids when it’s absolutely necessary can give you precious pockets of time to catch up on work, spend quality time with your significant other or recharge after a hectic work week.
In turn, this will make you a much more present and attentive parent and partner, and everyone will be better off for it.
Conclusion
So, these are some of the most effective tips and ideas out there that can help you achieve a better work-life balance.
Incorporating some of them into your daily schedule will guarantee that you’ll become more productive, less stressed out, and more present and attentive with your family.
So, what are you waiting for? Take those ideas that speak the most to you, put them into action, and see what happens.
Chances are you will see results soon.
