In a recent study, 45% of entrepreneurs agreed that finding a work-life balance is their greatest ongoing challenge.
Working on balance – it’s not just for toddlers and drunks anymore!
“Self-care” is the buzzword of the day. Apparently, it’s important to sleep and eat and not treat your body like garbage.
And yet, entrepreneurs are working crazy hours; the majority of small business owners work over 40 hours a week, and 19% work 60+ hours a week. Jeff Bezos was quoted saying that “work-life balance” is a “debilitating phrase”…so with this guy as a role model, we all should be hustling around the clock, right?
Wrong.
First of all, it is trashing your health. People who work more than 55 hours a week have 1.3 times higher risk of stroke than those working 9-5. Sleep deprivation, stress, and unhealthy eating makes you die quicker, and you can’t enjoy your money 6 feet under.
(Unless you find a cool underground casino, but again I’m talking about a grave.)
Second of all, you are really not getting any further ahead. 300 entrepreneurs were interviewed along with straight-A students and Olympians (aka successful people), and their common denominator was that they prioritized sleep, relaxation, and breaks.
Get that gold-medalist 8 hours of sleep, and you’ll be shot-putting bags of cash into your life in no time.
What else can you do to still be a boss but ALSO not be dead?
- Be clear and accountable with your goals. Write them down. Check them off.
- Delegate. Maybe hire a VA or a freelancer.
- Automate things that can’t be delegated (e.g. reviews, pricing, task tracking etc.).
- Create a routine. Take walks. Have a hobby and a personal life. Schedule them as though they are important. Because they are. Because you could die, dude.
Check out more work-life balance tips from our friends at Helium10 here, and then get some rest and start living like a damn Olympian.
