Ajay Prasad
8/26/2013
Many couples schedule a date night to keep their marriage fresh amid work and family demands. Small business owners would benefit from a similar commitment to restore and sustain their work-life balance.
Entrepreneurs bemoan their need to stay ahead of their work 24/7. If you dream it, the 24/7 work day will happen. But, honestly, this is a problem of your own making you can solve with a little planning.
Lonely job: Small business owners bear a big physical and emotional burden. Entrepreneurship can be a lonely job. But, it is also your job to be proactive in the solution. You control the situation, or it will control you.
Date night: If there is a spouse in the picture, make sure there is at least one night a month to enjoy without any reference to the business - unless you are both working on the balance.
Relationship schedule: If you include family in the overall planning throughout your start-up process, they will appreciate the workload. If you solicit their input on structure and response, family will buy-in to your needs. But, you can only sustain their support and commitment if you build their lives and needs into your plans.
If they see you organize your work week around a client's needs, they need to see you do the same for them. They need more than one date night per month. Certainly, depending on the age of the children, they need your time every day.
This time is not chore time, church time or homework time; each of those should already be on the scheduled.
Read Also: How Often You Should Take Breaks at Work
