Finding Work-Life Balance When Self Employed

It is crucial to find a decent work-life balance wherever you work, but some might say that being self-employed can pose extra challenges.

When you work for yourself, it is extremely easy for personal time and professional time to blend into each other, especially if you have just started running your own business or have recently become self-employed.

For those working from home, it can also be a challenge to ‘switch off’ your work brain and enjoy the very same sofa you might have just been sitting on creating spreadsheets or organizing products.

But, are there any easy ways to do this? What are the tips and tricks? Read this piece to find out more!

Set Yourself Strict Work Hours

One of the first tips for creating a work-life balance is to set yourself work hours and stick to them.

The beauty of being self-employed is that there is a certain degree of flexibility when you can select your hours, but you still have to work around your clients and customers.

Make sure you keep that in mind when choosing your hours, and be sure to have adequate time in your day to relax, unwind, and have a personal life too!

Get Others Involved

If you are fortunate enough to be in a position where things have taken off significantly faster than you expected, that is great! However, this can really sap into your time.

Your work life can become a far cry from the hours you have rigidly set for yourself, and you might find yourself using matchsticks to try and keep your eyes open, even after your third energy drink. This isn’t good for anyone!

When businesses move at a fast rate, you might also find your inventory needing to be stocked up faster than the money coming in, so if you are considering getting some help and also need to replenish your stores more quickly, consider taking out a loan to help you get to where you want to be much quicker!

Work Phone, Work Email

Having a separate work phone and email is crucial to our productivity and for us to keep our boundaries.

Not only is it extremely easy to keep scrolling through our phones or doing other unhelpful things when everything is all in one place, but it also means we might be more likely to get disturbed by work calls or emails on our days off. So, creating that boundary can be important in facilitating that balance.

In addition to creating boundaries between work and personal life, it can also be helpful to focus on your strengths. Strengthsquest is a personality assessment that can help you identify your top five strengths.

Once you know your strengths, you can start to use them more effectively in your work and personal life. For example, if one of your strengths is “Learner,” you might find that you enjoy taking on new challenges and learning new things. You could use this strength to find a job that involves continuous learning, or you could start a personal project that allows you to learn new skills.

Manage Your Time Effectively

Being self-employed or running a business is much different from being on the clock at work. From the moment you wake up, money is time, and this can feel incredibly daunting if you have a significant amount of work to get through or other things to organize.

Managing your time effectively means that you will be making the most of the designated hours set. This will help prevent work from bleeding into the after-hours.

Be realistic about what you can do in your allotted time to avoid disappointment or burnout.