The coronavirus pandemic has meant a tough year for business owners. Juggling the needs of your business with the safety of clients and workers has no doubt been stressful.
Maintaining a positive balance between your work and home life under these conditions might have been difficult.
There are things you can do to redress that balance, though, helping you designate clear cut-offs between home and work, and enjoying your time away from the office.
Some of these steps might make you more effective and efficient at work too.
Here’s your guide to achieving a positive work-balance as a business owner.
1. Distinguishing between home and work life
Back in 2018, YouGov found that 60% of employees checked their work emails while on holiday. You are probably guilty of this too – if you take a holiday at all.
Be sure to take holidays when you are owed them and encourage your staff to do the same. When you’re away, switch off from work and enjoy spending time with family or friends, doing the things you love.
Be sure to have definite cut-offs during an average working week too.
Once you’ve finished for the day, switch off your work phone or at least turn-off or silence notifications. If you are effectively on call 24-hours a day, start by setting yourself an hour an evening when you completely unplug.
Turn off all work laptops, phones, notifications, and take an hour to relax. Pick a quiet time at work to give yourself the best chance. Then learn to delegate.
Having a clear handover between you and a colleague, even for a short space of time means you can commit yourself to your home life for that period, without worrying about the office.
2. Take care of yourself
A negative balance between your work and home will have an impact on your physical and mental health.
Overdoing it at work can lead to – among other things – stress, poor sleep, lack of focus, and anxiety. These things are all bad for you and your loved ones, as well as for your business.
Your business needs you to be working at your most productive and that can only happen when you’re in good health.
Understanding that overwork can lead to burnout and knowing the signs you need to look out for, can help you recognise when your body is telling you to slow down.
Improving your emotional wellbeing through financial advice is something we can help with. A recent study by Royal London has shown the connection between regular financial advice and greater confidence, feelings of control, and peace of mind.
This financial security could allow you to further improve your work-life balance, possibly showing you that you have sufficient funds to cut back on your hours or to give up work completely. Even if you’re not at that stage yet, knowing what you have to do to reach that goal can be a useful focus.
3. Make non-work commitments
If you’re struggling to switch off away from the office, force yourself to relax by making non-work commitments.
You know from your business dealings how important it is to keep to commitments and to deliver on the promises you make. The same holds in your home life too. Commit to a weekend date night, sign up for a weekly five-a-side football match, or join a book club.
Make a commitment that forces you to unplug your laptop and silence your notifications and set that time aside for doing something you care about.
Set yourself goals too, just as you would at work. If you decide to take up jogging, start Couch to 5k. Then find a local park run or organised sponsored event and sign up for that. It will give you something tangible to work towards and up the stakes.
Maybe your goal is to learn to knit. Promise to knit something for a loved one for their birthday and you’ll have a target to work towards. It doesn’t matter what your non-work commitment is, just make a commitment and treat it the same as you would a work contract.
Get in touch
If you think financial advice could help you to achieve a more positive work-life balance get in touch. Regular advice is linked to improved emotional wellbeing. The peace of mind that comes from planning your future could improve your work and home life today.
If you’d like to discuss any aspect of your finances or long-term goals, get in touch. Please email info@investmentsense.co.uk or call 0115 933 8433.
