Studies show that stress is a killer.
Finding work life balance can be hard.
When you start a business, stress is inevitable… right?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Stress doesn’t have to be a part of the package.
You can find some balance but you’ve got to start from the beginning.
Make it a priority for you and your business right from the start.
Start At The Beginning
If you want to be as stress-free as possible, start at the beginning.
It is my opinion, that in order to really be stress free when it comes to creating a business and working from home, it is mandatory that you start from the beginning.
That you learn how to setup the foundation of your business and find that work life balance so that your business fits into your life instead of the other way around.
The goal is to create something that compliments your life. That supplements your life. That fits into what you already have.
To me, that is how you truly find that work life balance that so many desire.
This is something that you can incorporate into your goal setting sessions for the year and when you’re doing your budget planning for the year. Plan into it some down time…so that you sorta “force” yourself into some work/life balance.
A Question That Creates Work/Life Balance
It’s one tiny question. Not even a lot of words but I found that it’s made all the difference in my business.
The million dollar question is this…………………..What Do You Want From Your Business?
Sometimes we overlook simplicity because it’s too obvious. But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t on the right track.
So ask yourself, what DO you want from your business? What do you expect?
The Big Picture
When you can answer this question, the big picture will start to take shape.
This is a question that applies to EVERYTHING.
When you answer this question, it’s inevitable that more questions will start forming in your mind…and probably lead you down the proverbial rabbit hole, a la Alice in Wonderland.
But don’t resist it. Give yourself the time to explore this rabbit hole.
I tend to give myself from hours to several days to mull this over. I pencil a few thoughts onto paper as my first draft of my business and personal goals… then put them away for a while. Sometimes a day or two. Then go back to it, tweak them… then I get on to creating my budget.
I know, I know…spending days exploring this rabbit hole may seem frivolous but it’s important to your work life balance later.
And the ultimate success of your business, it’s growth and the achievement of your goals.
Success Starts HERE
I’m not being overly dramatic when I say that the success of your business and the achievement of your goals depends on the daydreaming that you do now, at the beginning.
And you have to make sure to revisit and do a little more daydreaming every now again, like once a year… during your goal setting and budget planning process, for your continued success.
No one but you can define the rules of the game when it comes to your business. You are in charge here. You are the creator. You are the Wizard of Oz creating the Emerald City, so to speak.
So build it, your business, the way that you see fit.
Create the rules of the game that will define your business.
When you complete this exercise, the dynamics of your business, the full picture of it, will start to take shape.
Once you see that picture, the work life balance you seek will be easy to identify…goals will be super easy to write and budgets will be a piece of cake to create.
All pieces of the puzzle to your personal business roadmap.
Rules Of Your Business Game = Work/Life Balance
Once you’ve created the rules and you know the rules of YOUR business game, you’ll know how things are done in your business…making decisions will be a lot less stressful.
Making decisions will now be a question of:
- does this help me to maintain my work life balance when it comes to my business game or not?
- does this take me closer to my business vision or further away from it?
- does this fit into the rules of my business game or not?
See? Not all that hard anymore, is it?
Saying “no” to things that you once thought would accelerate the growth of your business will be easier now that you can really see what your business will look like in the future. When you have that big picture in mind… you know what things and actions will bring you closer to achieving your dream business and what decisions have the potential to take your further away from that vision.
If you start from the beginning, creating work life balance will be a piece of cake! So give it a shot.
It’s Not Too Late For A Redo – Paint A New Picture
If you are years into running your business, it’s not too late to paint a new picture.
Little known secret of Common Cents is that I started over 15 years ago… and I have changed the “look” of what I wanted to be when I grew up several times.
For instance, I used to want to have a huge accounting firm, with a lot of staff and a luxurious office. That picture eventually morphed into the one I have now… the painted picture of small boutique-style agency with a smaller number of very cool, hand-picked clients that I can work with one on one or in small groups.
Drastic difference, right? So don’t think for a second that you can’t start over and get a new point of view.
Good luck… let me know what visions of stress free, work/life balance perfection you create for yourself, your family and your business. Let me know in the comments below.
Until next time,
J
PS. Want to learn more about building the business of your dreams that fits within your life and your lifestyle and how to get your books right so that you can understand your numbers once and for all? Come work with me one on one…
Notes & Links:
Putting It All On Paper… Sorta – A Budget Template
Work with me one on one
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2013 and has been completely revamped and updated.
