Is your work life balance out of control?

Does this sound like you?

Are you constantly feeling like you might unravel? Do you let your phone dominate your family time, social life?  Are you constantly dancing to the tune of emails and other work demands? Is it having a negative impact on how you live and how you feel? Then this article is for you. Therefore stop what you’re doing, grab some refreshment and take five minutes to consider recalibrating your life.

How many times do you lift the lid on your laptop or check your phone? Try making a note one day

Have you become a slave to tech?

We all know technology is a wonderful thing. It has transformed how we do business; communicate with one another and our access to information. But right now people are struggling to put tech back in its box to stop the total domination of every aspect of our lives.

Should we consciously take time to manage the professional and the personal?

If you are running a business you might be thinking that being on call is part of the deal. Yes it is. But there has to be a balance to protect physical and mental health. I always found the adage: are you running a business or is your business running you’ quite a good thing to remember. How we choose to earn our living should fit, wherever feasibly possible, with the way we choose to live and the people in it.

How much work do you lose through insufficient capacity?

Start-ups and new businesses are often like sponges and they suck up any time we wish to throw at them. Being a lean start-up often means business owners cut staffing costs to the bone. They talk themselves out of hiring staff, even on a contract basis.  Obviously this makes economic sense on one hand but have you ever considered how much work is lost through having insufficient pairs of hands and minds?

Is multi tasking always the smartest work solution?

As a recruiter of course I have a vested interest in staffing; I can’t deny that. However, through years of experience I have seen how not having the right staff can have a detrimental impact on personal lives. This is often due to spending longer hours in the office because you don’t have the right calibre of staff in place.  Also I wonder if trying to multi task is always the smartest solution to staffing issues. What might take you all afternoon could take a professional an hour.  For example hiring a bookkeeper can transform your company finances and prevent stress and financial penalties if tax or VAT returns are late. 

 Do you factor your personal responsibilities into your work life or do they have to fit in with you?

Running your own business has a huge upside of course but also a few challenges that come with the territory. For example taking holidays with young children. How do you do this when you are stacked out with work? Is it right to deny them your time because you are busy? I don’t need to answer that do I?

Can you create a team without breaking the bank?

So how do you manage this so your children see you and you don’t feel stressed by taking time out from work?  Personally I do have several people in the team supporting me. Some are freelance workers whose input is invaluable. Their services are not expensive and they allow me to achieve things I would never have the time to achieve myself. 

However, inevitably there are certain things that I will always have to deal with personally. So yes I take my phone and laptop on holiday but I use them judiciously.  With the permission of my children I will take the occasional phone call. Then after a busy day either on the beach or zipping down a mountain when they are tucked up in bed I will check and respond to my emails. But I do feel those sessions are managed in such a way that work does not spill out over the rest of my life and the rest of my family. 

Running a business does also have many benefits

Some people may frown and criticise but when you run your own business it is not a chore or an inconvenience it is just doing what needs to be done to keep your client happy. And my children understand this because without happy clients we would not have the great holidays we enjoy.

Staff can make the difference

Yet I cannot underscore enough how the right staff will make the difference.  After all, physical and mental health are integral to a fulfilling life. These come from consciously managing a work/life balance and making it a priority. It won’t happen by accident.

Physical and mental fitness will benefit your business and cannot be left to chance.

If you want to avoid burn out or want to feel more human then may I suggest you look for some help in whichever way suits your specific niche. Full time staff are not necessarily appropriate to a new business but some targeted and agile regular assistance might make all the difference. Think about it. If you are your business then you need to be firing on all cylinders for the sake of your health and also those to whom you matter. 

What do you do to recalibrate your work life balance? Is it something you do regularly or is it something you ignore? I’d love to know so please do leave a comment and let's share some bright ideas

If your are finding it difficult to attract the top 1% of talent in the food ingredients sector and find that this is having an impact of your work life balance then why not call me today for a no obligation discussion on +44 7793 526078. On the other hand you can Click Here to schedule an appointment directly with me to suit you.