Work within your set hours
Do you subscribe to the idea of work hard, play hard?
This seems like a good idea until you try to implement it. There is no way to create balance with this statement. It is not measurable.
If you change it slightly, to work 100% and Play 100% then you have a base for implementation that is measurable.
This isn’t enough though; you still need to create a structure around this thought in order to get the results you are looking for.
Placing boundaries around your work time and your personal time is one way to do that.
When you work at a regular JOB you have start times and finish times, and if it is a good job that treats you right when you leave the office you leave your work there.
This is something that you need to do in your business as well! Be a great boss for yourself!
Now you also need to be a great “employee”, one who works while you are actually at work. That is where the 100% part comes in.
When you are at work, you need to focus on the work that needs to get done, put in 100% of your effort on those projects so that your business will succeed.
At the end of your work time, clock off! Leave your work and be 100% present with your personal life. This will eliminate the guilt you feel every day!
Do you often feel like you should be working when you are playing, or feeling like you should be playing while you are working?
This 100% rule will eliminate the guilty feelings because you will be getting all the work done during your work hours and you will be recharging and enjoying your life during your play time!
Create Space in your day for you
If you have had a JOB in the past I want you to think about what your day was like.
Can you remember? You might have been in the building for 8 hours, but do you really believe that you were working for all of those hours?
Besides the lunch break and the 15-minute breaks, there were times when someone came by where you were working to have a chat, or you stopped by someone’s area to chat with them. These are natural and somewhat acceptable things that happen in regular businesses, and yet we feel guilty when they happen in our days as a business owner.
It is important for us to have breaks, schedule time for your lunch and get up and walk around breaks.
Your lunchtime break does not mean time to sit in front of your computer and eat while you work! Take some actual time away from your workstation!
Find ways to incorporate getting out of your chair, walking around your office, house or get outside! In the summer I schedule a time to go out to the garden and water it or pick weeds. This activity allows me to recharge and I am much more creative when I return to work.
Pre-plan your work time
I get it; you have so many things on your to-do list that it never ends!
I used to have that problem, but I don’t anymore. I remember when I had a list of things that was constantly growing every day and I never seemed to get to the end of the list.
Today my life is so much different. I don’t have a crazy long to-do list; in fact, I don’t even have a to-do list!
I plan out my weeks by placing in the important things that need to be looked after such as appointments and client calls, then every day I look at what time I have available, and what needs to be accomplished that day and then plan out what I am going to work on when.
This keeps me focused on the important things, and gives me focused time to work on the actual tasks that are going to get me to my goals.
Stay focused on your plan
I always plan in pencil, because as you know things change!
We have to be flexible, but that doesn’t mean we need to let other people or things take over our day.
It is extremely important to know what is important, and that will be dependent on what your goals are for your business at the moment.
If you have an opportunity that presents itself during your day, and it needs your attention, then that is why you have an eraser. Figure out where you can fit it in and make it happen. If this opportunity isn’t in line with your current goals then don’t worry about trying to make time for it.
The other thing that causes people to not work 100% is distractions! Understanding what kind of distraction is your kryptonite is very important.
The space where you work needs to work for you. Figure out what distractions you can eliminate and what you need to have in your workspace to make it THE exact right space for you to focus and get your work done!
Reward yourself
There are many ways to reward yourself.
What is the one thing that you can’t create more of? TIME!
The best reward is time. When you make time for yourself, who will you spend it with? What will you do with it?
It could be that you go for a walk in nature, or you could go to the beach once a week. Whatever you choose to do with the time you create it is important that you do something for yourself.
Spending time with yourself doing the things you love will recharge you. You will come back to your business refreshed and recharged! You will be more creative and you will be better equipped to focus on the work that is in front of you.
You don’t need a vacation to get away from the pressures of your work, you need mini vacations all the time to recharge and reenergize so that you can create big things in your business and take big vacations so that you can create even bigger things!
