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7 tips for a better work-life balance

Small business owners in the construction industry are working a staggering 62 hours per week. This is according to new figures from call handling firm Penelope, which also found that manufacturing entrepreneurs work some 45 hours per week - more than 40 per cent longer than the average Brit.

Small business owners in every field are overworked. But a good work-life balance is vital, not only for your peace of mind, but also for your productivity. Read Simply Business’s top tips for working well and living well.

1. Take time off

It might sound counterintuitive, but sometimes the best way to work is to take time off. You simply cannot be productive if you are constantly working. Your brain and your body need time to recuperate. Make sure that you plan sufficient time off - and, crucially, that you stick to your plan. Take a holiday, even if that holiday involves staying at home, and try to schedule set office hours outside of which you do not work.

2. Get sweaty

Exercise is hugely important for your mental health, and for your productivity. By taking just half an hour to carry out some cardiovascular exercise each day you can vastly improve your mental and physical wellbeing. This is particularly important if you are working from home, when there is a strong temptation to swing from bed directly to the desk.

3. Zoom out

Take some regular time to regain your sense of perspective. It is all too easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of your daily business existence, and forget to zoom out and remember the bigger picture. That picture might include the general trajectory of your venture, but also your family, your friends, and your home life. Remind yourself that your business is not the only thing that matters.

4. Learn to delegate

Delegation should be a key skill for every business manager. As your business grows you simply will not be able to do everything. It is vital that you are able to identify when you would be better off paying someone else to carry out that looming job - particularly if it is one for which you are not strictly qualified.

5. Manage expectations

Expectation management is a key challenge in self-employment, and a failure to manage those expectations is one of the major stress drivers. Rather than simply saying yes to everything, think carefully about exactly what you can achieve with the resources you have. Clients appreciate honesty, and they hate nothing more than broken promises. Don’t promise what you can’t achieve.

6. Take the path of least resistance

There is a perverse but common sense amongst business owners that the most worthwhile things are the most difficult, and that if given the choice between two paths leading to the same outcome, the trickier of the two is the better. Rather, if there are two ways to do something, all else being equal you should always go for the easier of the two. There is no necessity to follow the difficult path out of habit.

6. Remember what you’ve done well

Finally, take some time to remember your achievements. You are likely to find that your energies tend to be taken up with worrying about the daily problems suffered by your business, and that you forget your wins. Make sure that you regularly remind yourself of the things you have done well.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jason Stockwood .