Like a Pro: Achieving That Work/Life Balance

Achieving a work/life balance seems to be one of the hardest things to do these days. We’re told from a young age that we need to take on as many responsibilities as we possibly can - so we do just that. Cramming more work into our already chaotic  lives.

Sure, as a tradesman or woman, you get to the work hours of your choosing. Plus,  there’s nobody you need to answer to. But sometimes this makes it tricky for you to switch off. The line between work and the rest of your life becomes, well, blurred.

And so, you guessed it! You end up with a successful business, but forget to have a life along the way.Lets not let that happen. Here are a few tips for maintaining a successful work/life balance.

Schedule Personal Time

If taking some time for yourself doesn’t come naturally, then you may need to make it a scheduled event. Whether it’s time with your family, or just a little “me-time,” make sure that you’re not spending all of your time on the go.

If you have to write it in your diary, or make a Google-calendar invite for yourself, then do that. But don’t let life slip by while you spend all your time in work mode.

Establish Set Working Hours

For those who work from home, or tradesmen and women who work out and about, this is a big one. When you don’t have anyone telling you when and where you need to be, it’s easy to switch on work-mode, and never switch it back.

So, set clear boundaries for yourself when it comes to the number of hours you think you should work per day  - and stick to it! If you need to be a little flexible with clients, then do that. Just be sure to take that extra time off later on in the week.

It might be difficult, but it’s also okay to say “no” sometimes. So, if a client is repeatedly crossing over into your personal time, put a stop to it before it encroaches too much on your time.

Implement Down Time Processes

If the reason you’re on the go all the time is because you’re scared to miss a call from an important client, or miss out on a chance to get more work, you need to implement processes that take over when you’re on a break.

Virtel UK offers a variety of packages for scenarios just like this. Our dmVoice package offers a voicemail service. This voicemail service not only records the callers voice message, but also forwards the message as an mp3 file to your email.

Or, if you’d like your phone to be answered by a real human, we do that too. Our live answering service forwards the call to a real person, who’ll handle your calls when you’re too busy living your best life.

Prioritise within Your Working Hours

We all have the tendency to try to take on everything at once. But, trying to get everything on our schedules done in one work day isn’t always possible. And if we operate like this, we’re going to burn out.

The best way to handle this is to prioritise certain tasks, and leave the rest for the next day. Figure out which tasks are most urgent, and work on getting those done, instead of overwhelming yourself with everything all at once. The chances are, you’ll also be more efficient this way.

Do a Self-Evaluation

Being your own employee can be really tough. Because most of the time, your boss is a bit of a hard-arse. Yip, the person you’re hardest on is often yourself. So, being your own boss means you never get a break. The nagging can be relentless.

This is when we need to do some self-analysis. It’s time to get real, and be truly honest with yourself. Have you been pushing yourself to work really long hours, without giving yourself a break? Have you been a cruel taskmaster?

If you have, make sure to schedule yourself a little time off. And when the working day is done, try not to think about your incomplete task list until your working hours begin again.

Go on Holiday

People who are self-employed often look past the very basic and essential need to go on holiday every once in a while. Working over Christmas, New Year and every other public holiday may have become the norm for you.

If so, you need to schedule a holiday. Once a year is a good place to start. If you need to schedule your holiday months in advance, make sure you start penciling it in and planning today.

Start Getting that Work/Life Balance Today

Heather Schuck, Author of an amazing book about being a working mum, said it best when she wrote “You will never feel truly satisfied by work until you are satisfied by life.”

So, don’t let life pass you by while you’re caught up in your work, because at the end of the day, being successful is pointless if you’re also unhappy. Put the right processes in place to ensure that your business runs smoothly, while having some down time. And then take the breaks you need to maintain a healthy work/life balance.