It’s always challenging to find the right mix that gives you work/life balance. But some women entrepreneurs seem to have found the secret formula. In the latest Xchange Poll, 60% of respondents said they lead a balanced lifestyle.
From good time management to planning to simply saying ‘No’ when their schedule is full, these busy entrepreneurs are using creativity and initiative to find the time to do it all. Here are our readers’ best tips and tactics:
“To keep my work and personal life balanced I take five-minute retreats periodically throughout the day. These are easy-to-implement, simple indulgences that don’t take much time or money. Pampering practices like resting in a rocking chair and having tea on the porch, escaping in a good novel, browsing through a photo album, indulging in a mid-day snooze or having breakfast in bed with my coffee in a china mug all help me to nurture myself and restore balance. After all, ‘healthy selfishness’ is one of the nicest things you can do for yourself and the people you care about.” — sue
“I make the most out of my time away from the office. I make an effort not to go home at the end of each workday and become a TV-watching couch potato. Rather I strap on my blades or running shoes, or head down to the local pub and meet friends. Weekends should not be about running errands (grocery shopping, mowing the lawn …). Instead, do those things mid-week after work, then come Saturday morning, you’re ready to enjoy.” — kathrin
“I have realized that my priority is my family and my children, and to this end, I make sure that I have all my ducks in a row at the office. I pay a lot of people a lot of money to make sure that things can run without me, and I spend only necessary time at work. I also recognize that I need alone time in order to re-energize, so I make sure that I have scheduled this ‘refueling’ time into my weekly plan. If I’m not happy, no one is happy — believe me.” — sabine
“The key is time management. I am fortunate to be in a career where I can set my own schedule. I work while my significant other is busy with something, and I plan to be free when she is. Making lots of money is great, but you should spend some of it too. Leave the office: golf when you can, vacation and maintain some physical activities.” — Michael
“I use two key tactics to achieve work/life balance.
- Learn to say no. If you have family plans for the weekend and some last-minute work needs to be done, say no — the world will not end if you do it on Monday.
- Think of non-work activities as fundamental for work success. A good friend of mine owns a creative agency. Every Wednesday night he has music night with his kids and every Friday afternoon he plays hockey. He told me, ‘Without those activities, I could never succeed in my job’. He is more productive, creative and energized in his work because of non-work activities.” — Wayne
“My home computer does not have the required programs to get business work done. I deleted them so the temptation to ‘finish’ work is not there anymore. This way I am not bringing work files home, be it paper or computer files. I step into my garden and, believe it or not, weeding takes my mind off the business.” — KR
“For the last two years, I’ve blocked off Wednesday p.m. to spend it with my young son. We’ve done parent / child art, music and cooking classes together. We’ve enjoyed this one-on-one time.” — csylvester
“Tips and tactics that I use to keep my life balanced are as follows:
- Plan: I take time to sit down and determine what was important to me. What made me feel fulfilled? Then I take my calendar and start filling it with things I enjoy. The happier and more fulfilled you feel, the more you can accomplish.
- Organize: I use my daily calendar and take it with me everywhere I go. Busy people must write things down.
- Commitment: Don’t be a procrastinator. If you say you are doing something today, do it.
- Work hard and play hard. Whatever you do, do it well.
- Be flexible!” — Doreen
That answer wins Doreen a copy of Thinking Inside The Box, by Kirk Cheyfitz.
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