Family and work are the pillars of a successful life and both are indispensable for happiness. In this frantic world, an entrepreneur is always forced to choose between the two. So how do you maintain that balance between your professional work and personal life? Read on to find out.
A great Attitude
Like most things, there’s no magic formula for working out a balance between the two but a great attitude goes a long way towards managing the two simultaneously. After a stressful day, it’s very easy to reach home frustrated and take out the irritation at your family members but it really doesn’t help any of you. What would you rather have? Your father/husband/wife coming home and being angry over every silly thing or having a dinner filled with laughter.
Remembering the Little Things
It’s always the little things that matter the most when it comes to people: be it business or family. It really doesn’t hurt to postpone a meeting every month or two in order to be at your mother’s house on her birthday or for your child’s annual sports day. Most people in your professional work will tell you that it’s completely okay to skip a dinner with them because of your marriage anniversary. We cannot even fathom how deep these little things affect others around us. Once an entrepreneur begin to take care of these little things, s/he suddenly realizes that despite the hectic work schedule of a start-up, they are usually upbeat because of the great atmosphere back home.
Sorting Your Priorities
The first step to being a successful entrepreneur is to sort your priorities. This is one area where you cannot copy from anyone.Every human being is different from one another and has his/her own list of priorities. What worked for someone may not work at all for you. The key to a happy life is to figure out a way of sorting out your priorities such that both work and family are satisfied. You may not be able to give much to your family, but make sure that the little time you do spend with them is of quality.
Know the potential areas of conflicts
It is easier said than done but if you know the potential areas where a conflict may arise between your personal and professional life, it is more convenient to devise a plan to guard against these. Knowing oneself is an important aspect of protecting against known conflicts. Knowledge about how you will react to a certain situation always helps to formulate a strategy to avoid a tricky situation.
Talk it out
It may sound like a cliche but it’s actually very important in order to lead a healthy life. Being able to express yourself clearly helps you not only at your work place but also at your home. Telling your spouse in certain words that you will be focused on your startup for a while helps them understand better when you choose work over them. It never hurts to call your family once a day just to let them know that you care about them but it makes the day for them.
Let go of perfectionism
“The grass is always greener on the other side.” Everyone has heard this saying but very few have been able to implement it. When an entrepreneur starts out, his responsibilities towards family and business are limited and it’s easier strive for perfectionism. But when both the family and business grow, it is impossible to maintain them at the same level as earlier. This is when you need to let go of your pre-conceived definition of perfectionism and learn to blend in with your new responsibilities.
Time for yourself
It is no secret that every human being needs his/her own time and space. Between work and family, it is very easy for an entrepreneur to forget about oneself. Having a little time for yourself helps bring things back into perspective and keeps you motivated. This time doesn’t really need to be for meditation. It can be anything – playing soccer, hitting the gym or anything that you love.
Use your strengths
This cannot be emphasized enough. If you are a quick thinker, use your imagination to keep your family happy. If you are a good orator, use your skills to wriggle out of tricky situations at home. It doesn’t matter what you skill set is – you can always use it to maintain that balance between your two worlds.
Do something fun
As an entrepreneur, you get very little time to spend with your family. Keeping that in mind, it becomes all the more important to make the best out of the little time you get with them. Taking them out for a family dinner or a day at the beach filled with laughter and no work pressure will make them happy and also refresh you. So it’s a win-win situation for you.
In conclusion, just remember the saying – “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. While an entrepreneur may not be a young Jack, it still never pays to be serious all the time. A little bit of fun and laughter are very essential to lead a healthy life.
