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Intuit took some advice from Canadian women entrepreneurs whose business success is enhanced by smart prioritizing and healthy doses of downtime. Here are some strategies to help you find equilibrium:
1. Have a Closed-Door Policy
If you work from a home office, family members or other diversions can tax your concentration and compromise your business productivity. Impose a closed-door rule and stick to it. Explain to children or a spouse you’re busy earning money. The family can’t afford to have you distracted!
Wherever you work, resist the temptation to be constantly available. There are times when you must focus completely on the person or task in front of you. Accepting a call from a spouse when you’re in a meeting or texting a client in the middle of a family dinner can damage relationships. Know when it is appropriate to unplug.
2. Decompress
No one can work for eight hours straight without a break. Even a few minutes spent walking outdoors will rejuvenate you mentally and physically. When you feel rested, your work will improve. If your business is run out of your home, take time to read the newspaper, take a power nap. It’s not about the quantity of time you pour into your business, but its quality.
3. Remember: You Are Only Human
We often try to be all things to all people. Recognize and respect your limitations. You don't need to do it all. Small business owners each have different comfort levels and skill sets. Learn to delegate to others those tasks that aren’t your strength. People will step up when you reach out – they’re human too.
4. Designate a Weekly Family Night or Girls' Night Out
Make it a tradition to gather with friends or family once a week. It might be for something as simple as making a meal together. Modify your schedule and write it into your agenda. Yes, you are a business owner, but you are also a friend, a sister, a wife, mother, or a daughter.
5. Learn to Say “No”
In business and in life, it can be difficult to say “no”. But if you know when and how to use it, “no” can be a magic word. Saying “no” means recognizing what is important. Achieving your work-life balance depends on setting priorities. Figure out what matters to you most. This is where your energy is best spent.
6. Think Long-Term
When you set out your business plan, you had long term goals. Looking ahead at target accomplishments applies to your life as well. Things you might include are learning another language or putting a down payment on a home within the next few years. When you get a handle on your long term goals and desires, it becomes easier to make short term decisions.
7. Health and Wellness
Are you too busy grinding away to take the time to sharpen your blade? Health is vital to work productivity and quality of life. Follow some basic guidelines: Get enough sleep. Exercise. Eat well-balanced meals. Manage stress. Try to share at least one meal a day with family, friends, or employees.
8. Be Flexible
Don’t stress if a home renovation or a sick employee throws off your equilibrium. Balance isn’t a permanent state – there is some back and forth. It’s about finding time for yourself, the people you care about, and the business you are growing without sacrificing one for another.
Intuit recognizes the needs of Canadian women entrepreneurs. QuickBooks Pro is there every time you need to delegate your financial management tasks to a reliable expert. QuickBooks Pro makes accounting easy with powerful tools to organize all your business finances. That means you get to spend more time on yourself and your business.
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Women entrepreneurs are a growing force in Canada. RBC Financial reports that 4 out 5 small and medium sized enterprises are started by women, contributing $18 billion to the national economy. For the 53 per cent of self-employed women in Canada who work from home, work-life balance can be difficult to achieve.
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