How to Start a Business Without Giving Up Your Personal Life

From Managed IT Services to Customized Planners, These Tools Put You Back in Control of Your Day-to-Day.

There’s a reason lots of entrepreneurs refer to their business as their “baby.” They’re exciting and full of potential. Without your constant love and attention, they wouldn’t do so well. And they also take a lot of work. Just like it’s important for new parents to find time for themselves, it’s important for entrepreneurs of any age to make time for the other people, activities, and projects they care about even during the hectic startup launch process.

You don’t have to believe us that it’s possible yet — just keep reading and find out how you can start a business without giving up your personal life. It just takes a few simple tools and strategies, including:

• Finding opportunities to move tasks from your plate to someone else’s
• Seeking out social groups for like-minded peers
• Building time into your schedule for organisation
• Taking the time to define your goals (and how you’ll get there)

1. Take tasks off of your plate whenever possible.

As an entrepreneur, you have to be ready to get involved with every side of your business. That means some days you might be working on marketing, others you might be working with clients, and others you might be refining your product. But that doesn’t mean — or it shouldn’t, anyway — that you’re doing all of those things by yourself every single day.

The easiest way to avoid burning yourself out is pinpoint what tasks are essential for you to work on and what tasks can be delegated to others. In some cases, it’s obvious — for example, if you aren’t an IT expert yourself, it makes a lot of sense to invest in outsourcing tech tasks to a third-party managed service provider. Those IT experts can keep your technology up-to-date, provide support in the event of a crash, and keep your business running more smoothly than you might be able to if you undertook those same tasks yourself.

Like most other parts of owning a business, there’s an art to learning when to delegate tasks. It requires careful thought, but getting it right will free up a huge chunk of time for you.

Knowing when to delegate tasks is essential to maintaining personal time as an entrepreneur.

2. Surround yourself with people who can relate.

For entrepreneurs, joining a local professional group is all around a smart move. One surefire way to boost your chances of success is to surround yourself with a network of individuals who support or even share your ambitions. Professional groups put you in contact with people who have different skillsets and help you grow your network.

Plus, taking some time to interact with like-minded peers in a social setting allows you to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Not only are you putting energy into your business — you’re also putting energy into building new friendships and relationships.

Whether you prefer digital organization tools or a traditional planner and paper, scheduling tools are your best friend when it comes to maintaining your personal life as an entrepreneur.

3. Schedule time for keeping your schedule updated.

Organization is key in many aspects of life, and maintaining a healthy work/life balance is no different. Entrepreneurs have a lot to fit into their schedules even before social activities enter the picture, so having a well-kept schedule (whether that means a customized paper day planner or a smartphone-compatible calendar app) is essential.

A few tips for keeping your schedule tidy and balanced:

• Decide in advance how much time you will spend on work vs. play each week
• Colour code or tag events in your calendar to identify them as work activities, fun activities, or necessary housekeeping (like picking up your laundry or going grocery shopping)
• Put events in your calendar as soon as they pop up — that way, you won’t forget them
• Take a few minutes every now and then to look back at your calendar — are you sticking with the work/lifetime breakdown you were shooting for?

4. Create your personal roadmap to success.

People have been arguing about what it means to live the good life for centuries, and there’s a reason for that — “the good life” means something different to everyone. If you’re going to find balance and happiness in the work/life balance you create, it’s important to understand what you value and what your goals are.

Consider taking some time to write out:

• Where you hope your life takes you professionally and personally
• What you want to achieve in the next year
• What you want to achieve in the next 3 years
• What you want to achieve in the next 5 years
• Realistic steps you can take to reach those goals

Find time for all of the things that are important in your life when you follow these tips for maintaining balance while starting a business.

Being an entrepreneur is beyond a full-time job — it’s a way of life. Even so, it’s entirely possible to start your business without giving up the personal interests and personal time you need to unwind.

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