As you fight through the harsh landscape that is running a business, you may find that you’re already devoting all your time pursuing your company goals that you’re sacrificing everything else — and it’s throwing the rest of your life into chaos. “But the first five years of my business is the most crucial as it’ll predict if my company will stay afloat!” you argue.

While it’s technically correct, this doesn’t mean you have to abandon everything else to fight for your business’ survival. You also don’t need to wait until you’re sure that your business is going to be successful to start having the so-called “work-life balance” that many successful entrepreneurs seem to have in spades. You can start having a balanced life even when you’re still pursuing business success with these five tips:

Understand that there’s no “true” balance — it’s about give-and-take

Fighting to achieve a perfect 50-50 balance between work and personal life is nigh impossible, and this is what many struggling entrepreneurs should learn. There will be days when your work takes up most of your time, while there will also be instances that your work must take a back seat for personal matters.

The key to mastering these circumstances is not to split your attention equally between the two but to give each aspect the right amount of attention that they demand. Instead of stressing yourself out over how much you’re putting into one aspect of your life, let yourself naturally work through whatever you must attend to at the moment. Sometimes, you may find that you don’t necessarily have to separate work from your personal life if it benefits both.

Clarify your boundaries from the get-go

Many business owners fall into the trap of working around the clock, sacrificing weekends, holidays, sleep, family time, social life, and even meals to attend to their business. While it’s mentioned in the previous point that, sometimes, you can integrate both work and personal life together, sinking yourself into your work 24/7 is counter-intuitive to the previous principle, too. That’s why it’s also vital to set clear boundaries on the many aspects of your work life, such as:

Time: Working long hours with little to no breaks not only is unhealthy but will also result in burnout, leading you to produce less-quality work. Set a specific work duration and strictly adhere to it. While you may also need to commit to overtime sometimes or even answer urgent matters during your off hours, steer clear of this as much as you can. This also counts for vacation days: if you’ve scheduled a vacation, stick to it and fight the urge to check on your business obsessively.

Space: Keep your work inside a specific space AKA your office (whether it’s a room in your house or a space in a building). When you are out of this space, minimize work as much as you can — ideally, you should have zero work when outside of your office.

Access: Draw a line on when other people — be it for work or personal life — can contact you. While there will always be emergencies that can yank you out of the space you’re in currently, you shouldn’t treat others’ emergency as your own unless it’s a high-risk agenda that you need to attend to. For example, a client asking questions can wait until tomorrow if you’ve already clocked out. A friend that’s calling to ask about your schedule can wait until you’re out of the office.

Don’t do everything on your own

A great thing about living in the digital work is that some tasks don’t necessarily have to be done by hand, nor they should entirely be done within the confines of your office. If you’re dealing with many tasks as the business owner, you’re bound to get mixed up or prioritise the wrong thing first. You’re essentially stunting your chances of business growth and success by focusing on small details instead of the bigger picture.

So, if you can, get someone who can do all those other tasks for you, so you can focus on more crucial tasks that demand your attention. You can either hire a freelancer, outsource some of the jobs to another company, or even hire someone new in your company who will fulfil those tasks for you. This way, you have more time to deal with customers or monitor the progress of your campaign than getting stressed over trivial matters.

Use technology to give yourself a break

Like mentioned before, it can be easy to get into the habit of working around the clock and forget to take breaks. After all, it can be difficult (and stress-inducing) if you lose your momentum in your work. However, that’s still no reason to forego taking a break. Psychology Today determines that taking breaks at work can boost performance, as it can “replenish the psychological costs associated with working hard, improve work performance, and boost energy.”

To help you remember to take a break, make use of technology. Set alarms on your phone to go off at specific times, which signals when you should take a break. Make a detailed schedule of your tasks with a calendar you can take anywhere — like in your phone — or have it plotted out in a timeline that syncs through a cloud server so that you can view your events from any device. Almost everything nowadays has an app or program you can use, so take advantage of it.

Participate in activities that will improve your health

Health doesn’t just mean your physical wellbeing, but also your mental, social, and intellectual health. The key to having a balanced life even as you’re busy growing your company is by making sure that you’re taking care of yourself, both inside and out. If you’re on your best disposition, you’ll be in a better mindset to tackle your daily work and seize more opportunities. You’ll be able to clinch more clients with your livelier and more positive attitude that comes from maintaining a healthy mind and body.

To do this, start by doing activities that will satisfy you physically, mentally, socially, and intellectually. Sign up for a gym membership and work out on a regular schedule. Do yoga or other forms of meditation. Eat a balanced diet. Destress and take care of your mental health. Make time for social activities like parties and events. Brush up on your other skills or pick up a new hobby. These activities can help you refresh your mind and build yourself up, bringing you more confidence and a stronger mindset that will strongly benefit you as you run your company.

For more tips on how you can drive your business to success, you might want to check out our Business Coaching services here at Business Coaches Sydney. Contact us at 1300-833-574 to learn more.