BALANCE IS OUT.
INTEGRATION IS IN.
Have you found yourself pondering, “how do I achieve work/life balance as a busy entrepreneur?”
The answer is plain and simple, you don’t. Here’s why:
Balance requires weighing options: to gain traction in one area, another area wanes. This is a system of picking and choosing, gaining and limiting, winning and losing, which is ultimately ineffective for an entrepreneur and unsustainable for growth. When you own a business, you need integration – the ability to manage each area of your life simultaneously- not having to constantly pick and choose and weigh your options.
That is not to say that there is no “picking and choosing” involved with integration, because decision making is part of the foundation for success. The key distinction here is with integration, the ability to pick and choose is not mutually exclusive- you can gain traction in one area without impeding another. You are able to engage in activities without distractions.
How? Here are simple steps for integration.
SET A SCHEDULE.
Setting a schedule physically blocks off the time needed for every area of your life. Maybe your workday is no longer nine to five so that you can schedule in time for activities you need to do throughout the day without interruption. By integrating work and play you send the message to your team, family, friends, and clients that when you’re at work, you’re focused, and when you’re spending time away from the office, you need just that.
By defining your schedule to those around you, your time becomes more valuable.
Pro Tip: Fill your schedule with things you are best at and most enjoy. Delegate the rest. Check our blog TWO EASY STEPS FOR FINDING ”ME TIME” AS AN ENTREPRENEUR for more on how to set a schedule and avoid doing things you hate.
BREAK THE BAD HABIT.
Learning how to integrate your work and life is the same as developing a habit- you are re-creating the way you think and feel about time management and how to live a life most efficiently and deliberately.
You have to form the habits and manage the expectations of other people right from the beginning. You can’t please everyone and do it all, all of the time, but you can strategically structure your daily routine to check all the boxes in some fashion.
UTILIZE YOUR ASSETS.
As an emerging entrepreneur, you may fall victim to the mentality “if I want it to be done right, then I have to do it myself” when it comes to running your business. This is another bad habit to break. Running your business does not mean doing it alone – putting your entire self into your business, regardless of the time it takes away from the other important things in your life. Integration is not a balancing act!
By figuring out and focusing on the things you do well and enjoy and delegating the rest to your team, you create the ability to accelerate in one area without neglecting another.