Last week we took a look at how using your most productive hours and taking care of your health maximizes your ability to balance work with life. This week, we continue to make your busy workweek more manageable.
Delegate
Entrepreneurs have a can-do attitude, but that go-getter personality can work against you sometimes. From the house to the office, you will benefit if you delegate some of your tasks. Family and roomates can help with the household chores and your staff, or contractors can take some work off your plate.
If your daughter is an amazing cook, ask her to take care of dinner a couple times a week. Accounting slowing you down at work? Contract it to an outside source.
Surround yourself with people that can and will help you and that are also passionate about your company and ideas. You can’t do it all, but you can rely on a few key people to help you get the job done.
Eat out/Take out
Say what? Isn’t eating out bad for you and your wallet? That actually depends on what kind of eating out you’re doing. As an entrepreneur, you are working long hours and there are times when making dinner just doesn’t fit into your plans. It happens to everyone, but rather than rush through the drive-thru and gulp down a cheeseburger with fries, you have many healthy, affordable options.
For example, Subway will whip you up a veggie-rich sandwich and pair it with a warm, comforting soup. A trip to your grocery’s deli can get you a roasted chicken and all your favourite sides without breaking the bank. Accept that there are days you are going to eat out and then take advantage of the places that make it healthy, affordable and easy to do so.
Daycare/Housecleaners
If you are working from home, don’t assume that you can handle all the house cleaning and daycare responsibilities at the same time. A home office removes the commute, but your workload is just as intense as if you were in a cubicle. Look into daycare options and/or a housecleaner. You may not need either full time, but even just a few hours a week for daycare or a clean every two weeks can save you stress and give you that much more time to devote to your business. Price it out. Can you make more in an hour with or without daycare? The time you save may pay for itself.
Don’t forget to be social
All work and no play is bad for your health. “Why Loneliness can be Deadly”, alarms Livescience in an article that blames isolation for everything from hardening of the arteries to problems with learning and memory. Many other studies have shown a link between a sparse social life and ill health. While you don’t need to be out clubbing each weekend or maintaining a Kardashian-worthy social calendar, don’t let work get in the way of interacting with friends and family.
Have bag lunch in the park with a friend, make family dinner mandatory one a week, and chat for 15 minutes with someone you haven’t talked to for a while. It all adds up to making you feel better, and when you feel better, you work better too.
Entrepreneurship is a wonderful thing, but it is also very time consuming and draining. Don’t neglect your physical, mental or spiritual health in pursuit of the career of your dreams. The more balanced you are, the better your career will be.
