We know of lots of small business owners that live their work.  That isn’t a shock.  When you are the sole person responsible for making sure that your business is doing what it is meant to be doing, it is very hard, if not impossible, to switch off.   And can you switch off?  If you take your mind away from work, say, to go on holiday, or spend time at a school play, are you still looking at your Smartphone whenever you can and still thinking of the million things you need to do?

When we mention the phrase “Work-Life Balance” do you scoff a bit?  Does the idea seem like it might be nice for other people, but not accessible to you?

Spending time on doing things other than running your business will help you keep you healthy – both physically and mentally.  It will strengthen your relationships within your family and even allow you to look at the bigger picture of your life – not just you in work mode.  But, for this to happen, you need to be confident that your business will not collapse around you while you step away and do something else for you.

There are some positive things that you can do to help you get the confidence that your business will not fall apart without your 24/7 attention.  These are:

1. Plan – Plan your year, month and your day, so you know what you are going to achieve – there is nothing more satisfying than ticking things off a list knowing you achieved what you needed to do to help you to realise your vision. Oh, and don’t forget to plan in time to do things for you too!
2. Systemise – System stands for Save Your Self Time Energy & Money. If you are going to delegate to your employees, then firstly you should document the processes you want them to follow. This will mean they won’t make it up as they go along, and you will be confident they are doing it your way to meet your standards of quality and service and get things right the first time.
3. Cut out waste – A lot of the work that you do could be avoided if you either:

A. Got things right the first time, or

B. Focussed on what your customer wants and needs.

We do a lot of things because they have always been done that way, think about all your processes as you Systemise and see what is not necessary – and use that time and effort more wisely.

1. Pick a great team – surround yourself with the right people and avoid people that don’t share your values or vision.  Once they have good systems to follow, understand what is expected of them, and good leadership from you, you should be able to trust them as you step back to spend more time on you.
2. Communicate – let your employees in on the plan, tell them the state of the business and share your burdens – no one is an island, and a problem shared etc. so once you have a great team keep them in the loop, they will step up to help you grow the business.  A peer to peer support group is also a helpful way to share problems and find solutions based on another person’s experience.
3. Get to know your numbers – not knowing the true financial position of your business can cause stress so get to know your numbers, so you know if the business is working for you. Forecast cash and learn about your Key Performance Indicators, it will reduce the worry.

These things will take time, and some more than others, but when you have them all in place, you will not only be able to manage your balance between work and other important aspects of your life, you will also have time to work on growing your business and feel less stress all-round.