Top 5 Tips for Balancing Business and Family

Being a parent and an entrepreneur is amazing. It gives you the ability to work while raising a family. However, challenges of juggling all the roles can at times get daunting. Adding a busy holiday season doesn’t help. However, I have found ways to make this juggling act a lot easier.

1. Write out a list of all the tasks (for your business and family):

Having everything on paper keeps your stress levels down. Constantly thinking about numerous tasks at hand can feel overwhelming and leave you stressed and de-motivated. It’s the feeling that you will never be able to get anything done, which I am sure many of you can relate to and the feeling I personally dread. When blending a family and business there will always be a lot of items on a to-do list and the sooner you will take control of managing them, the easier your life will be. So take time every day to write out everything and I mean everything that has to get done. Our minds have a tendency to exaggerate many issues and overwhelm us, so don’t let it happen to you.

2. Prioritize:

Once you have all your tasks written out, prioritize them from the most essential ones (that absolutely have to be done that day) to the least essential ones (the ones that can be put off for the next day). Yes, that does mean that sometimes your house will be a mess, you will have piles of laundry and you won’t have time for yourself. But it really won’t make any difference when you think of it on a large scale. Realizing that it’s OK not to have everything done perfectly will alleviate a lot of stress.

3. Get the small stuff out of the way:

I know many people say that you should tackle big projects first. However, I have found the opposite is true. Crossing items of a list not only makes you feel accomplished but it also de-clutters your brain. Let’s face it, most tasks are small but they occupy a large space in your mind therefore causing a lot of clutter which in turn causes stress. The more clutter you get rid of the happier you will feel.

4. Learn to designate:

As entrepreneurs, we have so many things to do for our family and our business that sometimes we need to designate some tasks to others. This is a challenging one for me. As a type-A personality, I many times feel that in order to have things done properly, I have to do it. So over the years I had to learn to designate and it has made a huge difference. Whether hiring an assistant for your business or a cleaning lady for your house, doing so will make life a lot easier and a lot less stressful for you. So figure out what you need help with most and get someone to assist you with those tasks.

5. Get help without the additional expense:

Now that you know that you have to designate, I’m sure many of you are thinking where you will find room in your budget for that extra help. What I have done in the past and encourage you to do is to trade services. This is the best way to get help with your business and around the house. For example, if you don’t have time to do social media, find someone who does and see if you can exchange services or use it as a cross-promotion for both of the businesses. Similarly, if you need help at home such as babysitting and cleaning, call around other entrepreneurs and see who you could provide your services for free in exchange for them providing free services to you. It is important to stay connected to your local community and groups, because these networks and connections can greatly assist you. Many entrepreneurs are in a very similar position, so most are always willing to help out for this mutual benefit.

If after reading this, you are still unsure if these tips can help you balance your life better and alleviate some stress; I challenge you to follow through with these tips for 30 days and you will see that it makes a difference. I wish you all very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year and I would love to hear if these tips worked for you as well as they did for me.