Starting and growing your own business can be all consuming however it is so important that you maintain a work/life balance while running your own business. Failure to do will inevitably end up with you destroying what you have worked so hard to build. Your health will suffer and from there it all becomes a downward spiral.

If your health suffers, you spend less time running your business, which means less time in touch with clients or customers and/or staff and that only leads to one thing – disgruntled people that have come to rely on you and once that happens its a long way back to the top.

As someone who has been there, done that, got the tshirt, I can tell you it is far easier to maintain the balance than it is to come back from the bottom.

Here are my top tips for maintaining the work/life balance:

1. Watch what you are eating. Sounds simple enough however when you are running yourself ragged it becomes so much easier to grab something quick on the run than it does to spend time preparing your own meals and snacks. Eventually processed foods will catch up with you not only through weight gain but through your energy levels and impact on your overall health. If you are in business on your own and don’t have a partner at home, then I suggest you get to know some of the amazing meal delivery places (not takeaway places) like Hello Fresh, YouFoodz etc.
2. Schedule time for you. Book it into your diary. Whatever it is, it needs to be in your diary and non negotiable. Whether it’s playing sport, going to the beach, reading time or any other pursuit you love then you need to schedule it so that you don’t let it slide. The longer you let it slide the more resentful you will become towards your business. The more you do what you love the more energy you will have for your business.
3. Get enough sleep. No business should keep you awake at night. If you are not sleeping well because your head is racing with ideas, keep a notebook by your bed and do a brain cleanse into the notebook before bed. Write them all down in point form so that you can come back to them later and don’t have to try and remember them while you sleep. If you are not sleeping because your business is struggling, then get help now. There is help out there for you but you have to make the first move. A lack of sleep will impact everything you do and will have a major impact on the energy you put into your business.
4. Plan ahead. Not only do you need a business plan but you also need a plan for you each year. Plan when to take some downtime. Plan a holiday. Plan when you will go and learn something to help you in your business. Plan some personal development time. Plan it, book it and schedule it in your diary so that the end of the year doesn’t come around and you realise you didn’t achieve the things you really wanted to.
5. Don’t be a martyr! You don’t need to do everything in your business. You can outsource some of the work so that you can focus on doing what you love. There are many virtual assistants out there who will help you with the day to day running of the business. All you need to do is put your control freak hat to the side if you are used to wearing one, and allow other people to support you in your business.