Business
Maintaining balance when the demands of work and life are pulling you in different directions can be a bit challenging at times. What’s at the heart of finding balance in your life? Peace, happiness, rest, health? The definition of balance is different for everyone: What may be balance to me may not be balance to you; which is why it’s important to get to the heart of what’s uniquely important in your life. Let’s explore the 14 tips to help you maintain work life balance. Choose 1 or 2 of the 14 tips to help you get even better at having work life balance. Tip #1. Identify Your Core Values (what is truly important to you in life) Above all, honoring your core values is vital to maintaining a sense of balance because it directly affects your quality of life. Identify your core values and make the necessary life/work changes that honor them, so you can enjoy the kind of business and life you truly want and deserve. To help you identify your core values, complete my Values Clarification Exercise. To download my complimentary 6-page Values Clarification Exercise to help get you started on defining and getting clarity on your core values, go to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/values-clarification/. 2. Know Your Priorities – and Schedule Them If it’s really important, it must be scheduled. As I often say, honor thy calendar. Work and family are not the only important priorities, so be sure to schedule “you” time where you can to refuel, rejuvenate and tend to your own health and well-being. I believe that in order to stay focused on your high payoff activities and achieve your goals you must schedule everything on your calendar. 3. Establish a Home Office If you struggle with traveling to and from an office away from home, save time and get even more done by establishing a home office. Word of caution: it can be easy to get distracted by personal matters and family members when working from home, so set clear “office hours” where you can focus on work and will not be disturbed. Certainly, working virtually is much more common today than it used to be. 4. Work Remotely 1-2 Days per Week If you work best outdoors or in your favorite peaceful environment, schedule “remote” days where you can head to your favorite destination to brainstorm new business ideas or boost production. Wherever you typically work, find a new place to be remote from your normal work environment and see how much more you get done. 5. Reduce Your Expenses It’s easy to get caught up in all the “doing” of life, only to lose track of how much you have to do to keep up with all the “having.” Look around you and ask, “Do I really want or need that _________?” If it’s a financial burden, and provides little or no fulfillment or return, it’s time to dump or downsize. When you don’t have to keep up with all the “having,” you can reduce the “doing” time and be even more profitable. 6. Raise Your Prices As an entrepreneur, raising your prices is one of the easiest and fastest ways to find more life/work balance. It’s pretty simple; when you’re generating more revenue, you have more of an opportunity to work less. Always make sure the value you provide exceeds the price you are charging (perceived value can be different for different people). Increasing value doesn’t mean adding more work time. There are many ways to increase value without adding your time to the equation. 7. Request a Salary Increase As a business owner, you can always give yourself a raise, assuming there is enough profit in the business. Do the math and make sure the numbers work and give yourself that well-deserved salary increase. 8. Outsource Domestic Chores If domestic chores aren’t your cup of tea – consider delegating them. Unless household chores bring you a sense of pleasure or satisfaction, there is simply no reason to spend your valuable time tending to them. Remember, the name of the game is finding life and work balance. Hiring domestic help is an easy solution to fi