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We’re part of a generation that values productivity and hard work over anything else. As entrepreneurs, if you’re not hustling and spending every waking hour on the business you love, you feel anxious that you’re not doing enough. 

Being productive and achieving your business goals IS important. However, working too hard can sometimes lead us to forget that we aren’t just the business. It's only to a certain point we can continue to overwork ourselves before burning out and/or worse, hating the business. 

The result of overworking: your body begins to crash and you end up burning out to the point of exhaustion. No matter how much you love the hustle, you never want to reach a point in your business journey where you’re tapping out because all that work is sucking the soul out of you. Nothing, and we mean nothing, is worth your physical and mental health. 

It just isn’t sustainable in the long run to push through every hour of the day. You’ve got to make time for your friends, family and most importantly, for yourself. Because you aren’t just the business, you’re a human being. 

So, here’s how are four steps to creating a work-life balance that helps you achieve your business goals while making time for yourself:

1. Plan out time for both your Business and Personal Goals

Like we mentioned in an earlier blog post, it’s important that you list down the business goals you want to achieve and the dates that you want to achieve them by. 

Why not extend this to your personal goals as well? Ideally, you should cover personal development, health, and loved ones. Achieving your business goals is great, but do you really want to miss out on yet another birthday or wedding?

Your personal goals could be as simple as spending more quality time with loved ones to going to that yoga class once a week. You’ve got to make time for yourself and loved ones. 

2. Plan out your Breaks

You have to look at your brain as a computer. Yes, it works efficiently and sure, it won’t lose battery if we constantly charge it. But, if we don’t let it take a break, it’s going to overheat. 

The same goes for us. Getting burnout is the worst possible thing that could happen, which is why taking breaks is so important. 

From something as small as 5-minute breaks in between work (we recommend the Pomodoro Technique) to taking some time off every few months, scheduling breaks to get yourself rejuvenated in between tasks and projects is important.

3. Stick to a schedule

Make a to-do list that you have to complete for the day. Don’t have a crazy number of tasks and figure out how much time each task will take. Use scheduling tools such as calendars and reminders to plan out these tasks (we recommend using it for your personal goals as well!). 

Here comes the tricky part - don’t go over these time blocks you’ve created. We love to agitate over the smallest of things and by sticking to a schedule, you’re far more likely to complete work quickly and efficiently. 

4. Reward Yourself

When was the last time you appreciated yourself after completing a project? 

We don’t give ourselves enough credit for the work we do, nor do we take the time to appreciate all the hard work that might’ve gone into completing a project or business goal. So, just as you’ve created a list of goals you want to achieve this year, create a list of rewards for each of these goals. Maybe you’ve been wanting to buy a certain product for yourself or a weekend getaway has been on your mind for the longest time. Great! Looking forward to the rewards that come with achieving your business goals is a great way to motivate yourself!

Creating work-life balance as a business owner sounds hard, but as you can see, a bit of planning goes a long way. With these small steps, you can create the ideal work-life balance and become a happier business owner! 

We know - being a business owner is hard work. There is so much to take care of and you’re still not sure if you can take care of everything at once. So, why not let us take care of your finances and accounting? Work-life balance will be much easier to achieve and it’s all that we at Talo Financial want for you.

Warm Hugs,

THE TALO TEAM