The age-old question among adults, no matter what industry you may be in, is “How do I balance my work time with my family time?”
The stereotypical scenario from the 1950s where the wife stays home with the kids while the husband works at the office from 9 to 5 is certainly not the norm today. In today’s busy world you often find two working parents, employers who expect longer hours, and kids who have their own social calendars and after school activities.
Finding enough family time during the week and in between all the activities is tough, especially when the kids want to plug in to their electronics or veg in front of the television.
Finding quality family time gets even trickier if you’re an entrepreneur whose business is like another child that needs constant attention and nurturing in order to grow. Most likely you’re trying to use every spare second of every day to accomplish everything on your to do list.
Check out this video for some quick inspiration on how to balance your work and your family.
The number one tip for balancing the work / family equation is to prioritize your tasks. What are your deadlines? Prioritize tasks based these deadlines and how long they will take to complete. Don’t just add every task to your list and spend 18 hours at the office. Think logically and split up the tasks appropriately.
The second tip is to delegate certain tasks to team members or other employees. Now that you’ve got a list to work with, take that list and see if a team member is capable of handling some of these tasks. If you don’t have a team, consider hiring an independent contractor, virtual assistant, or temporary worker to assist with these tasks. If you have teenagers at home, consider hiring them so you can focus more on marketing and sales rather than doing every menial task behind the scenes.
Lastly, know when to turn off the computer and focus on family time. This is harder if you have a home office but setting certain office hours and having a door you can close helps keep work out of your family time. Turn off the computer, shut down the cell phone and really focus on your family. Your business will certainly be there tomorrow when you wake up and you deserve some down time!
