Are women winning in the human race?

In observance of International Women’s Day on the 8th of March, three female EO members from around South Africa shared tips on finding balance and practising self-care while being busy entrepreneurs, wives, and mothers.

Female entrepreneurs and businesswomen have a lot on their shoulders.?Most women carry the “Invisible load” of managing their households, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and childcare on top of their businesses or jobs.

The Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO) is a global peer-to-peer network organisation with more than 250 members in South Africa.?Many members are females who are no strangers to the work-life struggle for balance.

Helen Nicolson, Founder and CEO of the Networking Company in Gauteng, shares her top 4 tips.

1)?????Schedule daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly recovery rituals in advance at the beginning of the year.?A three-day break over weekends, with no WIFI signal, is very effective.

2)?????Create a daily full-stop.?Too many women don’t stop working from when they wake up to when they go to bed.?I bathe at about 5:30 pm, and then I have a drink with my husband to mark the end of the day.?We must see our day as a sprint with a finish line, not a never-ending marathon where you are still checking emails in bed.

3)?????I have a Sabbath on a Saturday.?I go for a run, have coffee with friends, and then I read or watch series.?I leave my phone in a drawer and sink into a deep, restful place.

4)?????Prioritise recovery.?I had to nearly die from burnout before I realised that if I wanted to increase my performance, I needed to increase my recovery.?Recovery is not laziness.?It is the best tool that entrepreneurs have in their toolkits.

Cara Saven, CEO and Founder of Cara Saven Wall Design in Cape Town, shares her insights.

1)?????Play to your strengths and delegate the rest.?For example, I don’t like cooking, so my husband has taken on that responsibility.

2)?????Kill two birds with one stone wherever possible.?For example, I will walk the dogs while exercising or do the school drop-off while en route to see a client.

3)?????Don’t be so hard on yourself.?Accept that balls will drop from time to time.?What I have learned is that the balls usually bounce.

Cindy Norcott, Founder and CEO of Pro Talent in Durban, shares her thoughts.

1)?????Stop perfectionism in its tracks.?Many women would be a lot happier if they lowered their standards.?Not everything has to be perfect … unless you are a jeweller or a plastic surgeon.?Don’t stress over an untidy house, the occasional unbalanced meal, and an occasional spelling error.?Sometimes, 80% is actually good enough.

2)?????Stop believing that everything is urgent.?You are not an air traffic controller or a paramedic.?Taking urgency off the table allows us to breathe deeper, think more clearly and have perspective.?I have realised that not everything has to be done now or even done today.?Ask yourself, “So what if I don’t do this task today?”

3)?????Learn the art of saying an unapologetic NO.?There will be many opportunities to say NO in a week, and I recommend you take these opportunities.?As women, we often like to be liked and fight to say no. But remember, if we say yes to someone else, we are then saying NO to ourselves, our businesses, and our families.

4)?????Have a tribe around you.?Research shows that having a tribe makes you significantly happier.?I cannot express the amount of support that I receive from my fellow entrepreneurs at EO, who face the same struggles as I do.

We hope these tips are useful to the remarkable women reading it.

Happy International Women’s Day!

To find out more about EO, visit www.eosouthafrica.com

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By Cindy Norcott, Founder and CEO of Pro Talent in Durban