The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Work-Life Balance
Being an entrepreneur is one of the most rewarding and exhilarating roles you can have. The excitement of building a business you love and getting your message and services out into the world is the best feeling. However, with the role of an entrepreneur comes deadlines, projects, and sometimes stress. Achieving 100% work-life balance at all times is not always possible. There are seasons where there is more work to do and seasons where you have a bit more downtime. The key to work-life balance is not perfection, but instead, striving for harmony in your schedule.
Here at Neapolitan Creative, we are all mamas, and we understand how crazy life can be when you’re balancing work, kids, and life in general! We firmly believe it is important to be intentional with your time and take time off to avoid burnout and reduce stress. By taking time off, you also refresh your creativity and ensure that you are staying productive. One of our most significant team values is work-life balance, increasing our efficiency and team productivity. Plus, it gives us the mental clarity we need to show up as the best version of ourselves.
You may be wondering how this is even possible and what you can do as an entrepreneur to achieve a work-life balance in your business and with your team. We are excited to share our favorite tips for balancing work and life and being intentional with our business and our families. Consider this the entrepreneur’s guide to work-life balance!
1. Communication is key
When it comes to achieving work-life balance, communication is key, not only with your team but also with your clients, family, and friends! Share your weekly and monthly calendar so everyone you work with and your loved ones know what you have coming up, where you have free time, and where you might need some help. If you have a big project coming up for a client, a teammate may be able to step in and help you out. If you need to work for a few hours in the evening, ask your spouse or a friend to hang out with your kids! Establishing open lines of communication is essential when it comes to deadlines, launch dates, and project updates. It helps build trust between you and your clients and also encourages collaboration.
2. Use a team calendar
When working with a team or a client, it is important to have a shared calendar, so everyone is on the same page! List out all project deadlines as well as holidays, team-wide vacations, and out-of-office (OOO) dates. You don’t ever have to feel guilty for taking time off, especially when it is listed right there in the calendar for everyone to see ahead of time!
3. Use a project management tool
At Neapolitan Creative, we live and breathe by our project management tool, ClickUp! Not only can we add our team calendar to this tool, but it allows us to stay in communication on projects and where we’re at in the process. This helps us create space in our day by keeping all of our tasks, key documents, and processes stored. That way, when we log in to work, we can work with efficiency. Having our projects laid out in advance in ClickUp helps us work ahead and batch content to take time off without losing steam in our business goals.
4. Designate a workspace
Another tip for creating a work-life balance is designating a workspace in your home or office and you can use movable parts just for this, click here to learn more about it. This is the space in which you do your work, and your work does not leave it! We understand that sometimes work has to go with you if you’re traveling or need to be a little flexible for your family. However, try your best to stick to this; that way, your home can feel like your safe, warm space instead of a 24/7 work zone. Plus, if your workspace is always set up with everything you need, you’ll be able to work more efficiently.
5. Set work hours
Setting work hours goes right along with designating a workspace. Your time is so precious, and it can be easy as an entrepreneur always to feel like you have to be “on.” Here’s the truth, though–you don’t! You have a life to live, and you deserve to have times where you don’t think about work. Set work hours for yourself and communicate those with your clients and your team. This helps them see when you’re available and when to expect to receive answers to their questions. To help yourself stick to these hours, block your time, use a physical or digital planner, set reminders on your phone, and take breaks throughout the day to refresh your brain and avoid burnout.
6. Be intentional with your time
Last but not least, be intentional with your time. Everyone deserves the best of you, your spouse, your kids, friends, clients, and teammates. When you’re working, get in the zone and work efficiently with 100% focus. When you’re with your family, be fully present and enjoy the little moments! Leave your computer in your workspace, turn off your notifications, and be there physically and mentally with your loved ones.
As you can see, work-life balance and taking time off are super important to us and something our team values highly! We continue to hold each other accountable for staying intentional in our business and our life, and we believe that is one of the biggest reasons we make such a great team!
Do you crave more work-life balance? Do you desperately need some time off? We challenge you to implement these tips and strategies and enjoy the mental clarity and extra time with your loved ones!
