Do you have a family and you are trying to run a business as well?

Well, I know as much as you do about how hard that struggle can be sometimes.

Some of us may have gone into business to allow flexibility around our family but then found that your business can be even less flexible than a toddler at the store wanting a toy!

I can imagine that a lot of you are nodding your head in agreement with this.

Family AND a business can be an absolute struggle sometimes. You have the needs for your clients and the needs for your family. Sometimes, both demanding your attention while you are cooking dinner in the evening.

So how do we find a balance?

Well, that is the key word, isn’t it?

Balance.

What is it really, is it even possible to get a “perfect” balance?

Personally, I think that sometimes you may feel that you have balance but it may only last for a short while and then the scales will be tipped one way or another.

All of sudden a large number of new clients start working with you and you are under the pump to get things done, so your family misses out and other times your child may be ill and need your attention so your business misses out.

It is a constant back and forth between the two and rarely you will find that ‘perfect’ balance that we are all looking for.

So, what do we do about it?

Firstly, give up on the idea of perfect balance, accept things for what they are and what they will be and work through each challenge as they arise.

Here are 5 tips that may help you achieve a satisfactory juggle between business and family.

• Firstly, remove the expectation that you can do absolutely everything yourself and ask for help. As much as we think sometimes that we are superheros we are not, and we need to ask for help from time to time. Whether that be hiring a housekeeper once a week or fortnight or a Virtual Assistant to help with answering phones and the paperwork, it will free up your time to spend more time with family or on your business.
• Take time for yourself. Hang on a minute you say, how on earth will I take time for me when I am already trying to juggle a business and family. Believe or not, it IS possible. If you take some time out for yourself to just walk, meditate or something else that relaxes you, it results in you having a clearer mind to work with which brings productivity. What comes with productivity? A bucket load of working getting completed! This means that once I get so much more done it frees up my time to spend the time with my family.
• Schedule it! Working to a schedule helps to ensure that you are getting the time that you need. My family often laugh at me as I provide several dates throughout the year for us to have family time. I have adult step-children who are all living out of home so between our lives it is sometimes hard to get together so we schedule it. When I am planning out my year for the business, I also include the dates for the family and set up events on Facebook. That way it is up to them if they can come or not, but the dates are there.
• Setting strict times for yourself. You may enjoy picking the kids up from school but hate having to work with them at home when you do. Set yourself a no working time from say 4pm – 7pm or something like that so you can spend time with your family and then get back to work if you must. Generally, I might start working again after my son goes to bed at night but I have had the evening with him without me working.
• Include the kids in your business. Is there anything they can do in the business, for example stuffing envelopes or parcels if you send things, putting stamps on things? If they are older, can they do some memes or social media for you, maybe they like maths so you could teach them how to do the bookkeeping. Not only would you be spending time with them working but you would also be teaching them valuable business skills. Yes, even stuffing envelopes and putting stamps on letters or parcels is teaching them something. Trust me.

Business and Family don’t always have to be competing for your time, they can work in unison, it is up to us to accept what type of unison works for us.

If you are interested in speaking with a Virtual Assistant to see how you can get some time back from your business, contact us for a free strategy session to discuss. https://calendly.com/beyondthemaze