Janelle Marie | 3 Steps to Entrepreneurial Work Life Balance
As an entrepreneur, personal is business and business is personal. Our lives are wrapped into our jobs and sometimes boundaries don’t exist. As a PERSONAL Executive Assistant, I can't help but to see the person first. I know that in order for the business to thrive in the way that it should, the person behind it has to be taken care of. It’s important that we learn how to balance the two without that feeling of guilt about one or the other. I believe making these 3 adjustments to the way that we work provides a pathway to more available time, without compromising the continued growth of successful business.
1. Delegation, Delegation, Delegation!
One thing I find many entrepreneurs have in common is the inability to relinquish control. Delegating is critical to ensure positive mental health for yourself as the business owner, but also a major factor to the success of a growing business. Some of the things that make us great at what we do could also be hindering growth when we try to take on everything ourselves. Take some time out of your schedule to complete a brain dump. Write out all of your responsibilities, current ongoing projects, every task that falls under your umbrella that contributes to the running of your business. Cross out the things that need to be delayed (Not denied!). Now circle the things that tend to be forgotten, left for last, or simply outside of your wanted scope. That is where your delegation should begin. Try to unload the task that you can to a trusted resource, and once you let it go, LET IT GO. This provides more space for creative free time leading to innovation and growth of the parts of the business that you are most passionate about or need to give more of your efforts to, that free time.
2. Implement Block Scheduling
Block scheduling is a life hack for everyone, but for entrepreneurs it's game changing. Taking the time to strategize at the beginning of your week will help manage the unexpected when it decides to pop in. You can improve your productivity and efficiency with just 30 minutes of prep work before your week begins. Take the remaining task from your earlier brain dump and prioritize the items based on importance, set deadlines, etc. Utilize a calendar and block out any personal time FIRST. This includes daily family activities, events or other engagements. Divide your list into "assignments" based on their priority level. Add these assignments into your calendar as an event, blocking out the time you are reserving to work on that particular piece of your business. With this you can map out long term and short term projects, improving overall efficiency and productivity.
Example:
10AM-11AM- Check inboxes, emails, return calls (repeats daily)
11:00- 12:30 Full Staff Meeting (every 1st Monday)
2PM- 2:30- Submit funding application (one time event)
You choose the frequency and length of time for your assignments based on your completion goals and overall work habits. It’s important to remember that this is your business and you set your schedule, so it can be anything you want it to be. Don’t forget to turn on your calendar alerts and reminders! Repeat and adjust as needed at the top of each work week to help balance all of the important parts of your life.
3. Prioritize Your Breaks
I am a firm believer that we only work to our best when we feel our best. This means prioritizing rest periods just as we prioritize our work. That can seem impossible when entrepreneurship can be a 24/7 job. Finding your individual balance based on your working habits is very important to maintaining overall health, and in turn producing during our times of work. If possible, try scheduling yourself a consecutive 3 days off (long weekend) every other month. Give yourself that time to completely disconnect from all work related things. Not only does your mind and body need the rest, but afterwards you may be provided with a fresh perspective from a well refreshed brain.
I hope that this may help to combat those feelings of being overwhelmed so frequently, and be more prepared to tackle those tough periods when they do happen. Would love to hear how they work or don’t work for you!
About the Author: Janelle Marie is a personal executive assistant, wedding and event planner. Her primary focus is to redefine the expectations of small Black owned businesses by building consumer confidence through structural change. You can reach her at https://www.allthingsjanellemarie.com/services. Special discount for Jackson Ward Collective members.