Finding a work/life balance - is there such a thing?

One of the things I struggle the most with as a business owner is getting the work/life balance right.

I used to feel like I was all in with either one or the other and struggled with working non stop or socialising non stop.

When I moved to Utila in February 2017, I'd just launched my business as a social media manager. With the pressure on to sign some clients, I spent 12-14 hours a day 'hustling' in front of my laptop.

I wasn't making friends, I wasn't basking in the sun, I wasn't even remembering to eat most days.

I started to feel resentful of all the friends Tom was making. I lived in a constant state of overwhelm, stress and worry that I'd fail.

All work and no play makes Becka a dull girl.

After about 9 months and on the brink of burnout, I hired a coach who encouraged me to take time off.

I began spending my mornings doing yoga, my afternoons eating lunch out or swimming in the ocean and my evenings sipping cocktails as the sun set or hosting groups of friends at our apartment.

I'd gone from one extreme to the other and because I was focusing on having fun, socialising and taking days off, I found myself feeling guilty for not being committed enough to my business and therefore felt I didn't deserve any success.

Over the past 6 months, I've consciously been working towards getting the work/life balance 'right'.

I've discovered there's no such thing as 'right'.

Because sometimes, I need to focus my energy on work so that during the times when I want to focus on fun, my business can run along on autopilot in the background.

When I'm at home in Essex, I have 5 days a week in my home office where I can focus all my attention on marketing, engaging, serving my clients and all the other behind the scenes shizz we have to do.

I make sure I take time for exercise, mindset work and downtime in between screen time so average around 5-6 hours of work a day.

Not that hours are important FYI.

Sometimes, I need to take a complete step back from the biz to reflect on what is/isn't working and remind myself that the whole reason I started my own business was for more time to do things I love.

I like to take weekends off, take a nap mid-afternoon and to see the girls mid-week and not worry about the 3rd glass of wine because I can lie in.

Having a simple marketing system in place, having my funnels setup and running in the background, having clear expectations for my clients and having a simple daily to do list to move my business forward means I can afford to work for an hour or two a day.

I wake up and work for an hour before Tom gets up, I check my emails in the evening and periodically share content from the Trello board I have full of content ideas or my notes app.

I still have discovery calls being booked, I'm still showing up for my clients, I'm still being consistent on social media but I'm doing it all on my terms - no hustling, no stressing, no 12 hours in front of the laptop like I used to.

It's taken a while to manage the guilt, to build the trust in myself and my business that it won't all fall to shit if I'm not in it every second and to remember that the happier I am, the more successful I am, but I've worked at it consistently.

I'm a big believer in doing things on your terms, in simplifying e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g and making time to enjoy yourself because, let's face it, if you're not enjoying yourself, what's the point in running your biz?

I created my businesses so I could have more freedom, so I could feel less stressed, so I could work around my IBS symptoms and anxiety and it's really important to me that I remember that.

What would your life look like if you made your business more simple? If you had systems, processes, marketing on autopilot?

Think of the freedom you'd have, the extra holidays you could take, the weekends you could enjoy.

Wouldn't that be wonderful?

If simplifying your biz and doing things on your terms is something you'd like support with, click the button below for information on my Rapid Revamp 1:1 Business Booster.

Over the course of 2 days in a beautiful UK setting, we’ll simplify and systemise your business so you have more time for fun, family, friends and freedom.

more info: rapid revamp 1:1 business booster