Running your own small business can be stressful. Often, it isn’t just a nine-to-five operation. Spending all your available time thinking about work, however, is not healthy. We all need balance in our lives. Finding a good work-life balance is important for your mental and emotional health and well-being.
In our modern world, it is all too easy for you to get overwhelmed by the constant demands on your time and attention.
Let’s talk about smart devices (phones, tablets, watches, etc), for instance. You carry your smart device everywhere with you and it allows you access to the outside world at any time. It allows you to contact customers, suppliers, staff, and sundry other people important to your business. It also allows them to contact you when they wish. This is a good thing, right?
The advantage is that you can respond virtually instantaneously to any business issue that arises.
The disadvantage is that your mind tends to be focused on work whenever your smart device informs you there is a message or call coming in. You are likely conditioned to take action immediately after you hear that notification sound or ring tone. A call comes in while you’re out to lunch and you take it. The upshot? Your lunch goes cold, you ignore your lunch companions (this is known as phubbing, a modern term that stands for snubbing by attending to your phone), and you are far from relaxed when you do eat which is not good for your digestion or your stress levels.
Your downtime effectively becomes work time leading to a work-life balance that is out of kilter. This can lead to a rise in your stress levels, which, if left unchecked, can be debilitating both psychologically and physically.
How can I tell I’m stressed?
There are some tell-tale physical signs when your stress levels rise. You may notice:
- Feeling tense, irritable and/or snappy.
- Getting reflux or indigestion after eating.
- Poor quality sleep.
- Low energy levels.
- Struggling to switch your mind off.
If you start noticing any or all these signs, it is important to stop and take stock of your work habits and your work-life balance.
One of the big barriers to work-life balance is the act of carrying your work around with you at all times. We, as a society, have become conditioned to respond immediately to our smart devices. If you have become a slave to your device, then it is likely that your work-life balance is suffering.
How do I regain balance?
Here are a few ideas for achieving more work-life balance without harming your business.
- Take time out of your smart device. Don’t be a phubber! Unless it is urgent that you be contactable for a specific reason:
a. Put your phone away at mealtimes and focus on your meal and on your companions.
b. Silence your smart device when exercising or through other extra-curricular activities.
c. Give yourself some uninterrupted time with family and/or friends at the end of the workday. - Set a limited number of times through the workday designated for responding to emails and messages that come in throughout the day/night.
- Consider having separate phones for work and personal purposes. Outside of work hours leave your work phone at home or in the office.
- Take some time to do things for yourself each day, without interruption.
- Lastly, on a regular basis, make time for:
a. Exercise.
b. Family.
c. Friends.
d. Hobbies and activities that interest you outside of work.
