Do you live to work or work to live? Small business owner's sometimes find themselves living to work. This is aptly captured by this statement that's popular with self employed people and those employed as well, "my job/business is my life". However, this should never be the case.
As human beings, we should be more concerned with the total quality of our lives. Living to work tends to affect our social lives negatively and breaks down family bonds. To live a holistic life and derive the greatest satisfaction, one has to strike a balance between work and home life.
Learn to Unplug
One of the difficulties of self employment is learning when to unplug. It is not uncommon to find small business owner's working into the wee hours of the night, simply unable to shut down the computer and call it a day. It gets worse if you work from home and, your family will resent you for it. Establish a working schedule and stick to it. You will realize that extending your work late into the night rarely ever increases your bank balance.
Organize
Lack of organization is a major culprit in failure to separate work and home life. Invest in tools that automate repetitive tasks and outsource mundane tasks. You will be surprised how much more efficient this makes your business and frees up time you should be spending with your family.
Keep Your Working Area Separate
This point is relevant for entrepreneurs who work from home. More and more people are opting to work from home. However, working from home has its challenges. The home is full of distractions; it could be a crying child, household chores, the television and so forth. You should set up your home office in such a manner that it gives you the professional feel of being at work. Set aside a room in the house and make sure everyone in the house understands that that area is out of bounds during specific times.
Abiding by these simple guidelines will see to it that you derive the most pleasure out of your work. At the end of the day, we must work to live and never, the other way around.
As human beings, we should be more concerned with the total quality of our lives. Living to work tends to affect our social lives negatively and breaks down family bonds. To live a holistic life and derive the greatest satisfaction, one has to strike a balance between work and home life.
Learn to Unplug
One of the difficulties of self employment is learning when to unplug. It is not uncommon to find small business owner's working into the wee hours of the night, simply unable to shut down the computer and call it a day. It gets worse if you work from home and, your family will resent you for it. Establish a working schedule and stick to it. You will realize that extending your work late into the night rarely ever increases your bank balance.
Organize
Lack of organization is a major culprit in failure to separate work and home life. Invest in tools that automate repetitive tasks and outsource mundane tasks. You will be surprised how much more efficient this makes your business and frees up time you should be spending with your family.
Keep Your Working Area Separate
This point is relevant for entrepreneurs who work from home. More and more people are opting to work from home. However, working from home has its challenges. The home is full of distractions; it could be a crying child, household chores, the television and so forth. You should set up your home office in such a manner that it gives you the professional feel of being at work. Set aside a room in the house and make sure everyone in the house understands that that area is out of bounds during specific times.
Abiding by these simple guidelines will see to it that you derive the most pleasure out of your work. At the end of the day, we must work to live and never, the other way around.
