8 tips for ACTUALLY finding work-life balance

Does working at the shop all day, filling orders at night, and returning emails at midnight sound familiar? This is all too often the life of a small business owner.

Finding balance between running a successful business and having a life is a challenge many entrepreneurs face, especially when they first begin their business and may be working full-time for another company. This was the case for Bustld owners, Ryan and Samie Roberts.

When the couple first launched their website a year and a half ago, Ryan knew they needed a structure in place that could sustain the pressures of running a business and keeping their relationship healthy.

Their site, Bustld, matches brides and grooms to wedding vendors using a 10-question quiz that asks about personality, budget and style. It narrows down the choices for brides and grooms and saves them valuable time and unnecessary stress. While vendors pay a fee to be a featured vendor on the site, there is no cost to customers.

Here are the 8 tips Ryan and Samie say you need to know to strike that perfect balance:

(1) Don’t let the week dictate you, you dictate the week.

Friday afternoons or Sunday evenings may be used to review the upcoming week.

“Take the time to plan out what the week is going to look like,” Samie said.

Are there any important sales meetings, product orders or deadlines? Draw the plan on a chalkboard or whiteboard for a visual reminder.

(2) Wake up to a routine every. Single. Day.

Wake up to a routine, like eating breakfast, drinking a favorite coffee, walking the dog or exercising. If you work with your spouse, this is a time to connect before the day gets hectic.

(3) Avoid early distractions; start your day with a project.

Most people jump to email and social media in the morning. Samie suggested tackling a project before email. For them, it means making sales calls, writing a real wedding story, or doing outreach for an event.

(4) Don’t let email consume your day.

Email is a time sucker. Samie and Ryan set aside two to three times a day to check email and even then, limit it to an hour each time.

“I find that when you get in your email, you can’t get out,” Samie said.

She sends quick responses to easy questions and action items get moved to a “to do” list. If you do have to work late, they recommend the “send later” options on Outlook and Gmail, so that your emails aren’t being sent at unreasonable hours.

(5) Block it out!

Samie and Ryan use a system called blocking to plan their week. Ryan sets aside Mondays and Fridays for business, technology, and strategy days because of their client’s schedules, which typically include Mondays off and Fridays for wedding preparation and rehearsals.

(6) Write it down. Catch some zzz’s. Tackle it in the morning.

When Samie gets one of her great ideas in the middle of the night, she now has a whiteboard to write it down. In the past she may have thought about it until the wee hours, but having a place to “park” her idea until the morning helps her get back to sleep.

(7) Make time for the fun in your life.

Date nights, vacations and mini-breaks can be the refresher a business owner needs. Time with friends, family and significant others can be a “no-work” zone.

“We always have a date night,” Samie said. “A lot of great ideas come from not talking about work.”

(8) Stop. Power down. Walk away. 

Close the computer, turn off the ringer, walk away from the office — find a way to end the day and take a break.

Photos: Bustld

CharlotteFive’s Small Business Series dives into topics that entrepreneurs face each day. Do you have an idea to suggest or want to share your knowledge as an entrepreneur? Email Vanessa Infanzon at vanessainfanzon@gmail.com with “Small Business Series” in the subject line.

This story was originally published November 8, 2017 at 10:00 PM with the headline "8 tips for ACTUALLY finding work-life balance."