finding a balance

Women business owners tend to be workaholics. I know this personally.

We believe that working hard is the route to success. And so it is – up to a point.

Unfortunately, too much hard work can kill you – literally. Excessive stress can lead to lack of fitness, high blood pressure, heart problems, and other health problems. But what most people don’t realise is that it's also an inefficient way to run a business. It stifles creativity and kills motivation. A good work-life balance is essential if people are to perform to the best of their abilities.

Women in business with families often find that there is no such thing as down time. You are either immersed in the needs of your business or immersed in the needs of your family. Quite often this is simultaneous! So something has to give right? Usually that’s you!

Hard work is unavoidable if you want your business to succeed. But that doesn't mean you have to work hard ALL the time. There will be times when your business needs you to put in extra hours of hard effort. This might occur when pitching for a new client, opening a new store or publishing a magazine perhaps. The key is to compensate for these moments at other times. Recharge your mind and body as soon as you get time.

If you want to get your work-life balance right you need to make the most of your work time: Don't force creativity - The creative parts of the human brain often kick into action when our attention is elsewhere – especially when we're relaxed or tired. That’s why good ideas often 'pop into our minds' overnight. The best way to solve a problem creatively is to concentrate on it for a while, then forget about it and relax.

S t a y h e alt h y - E a t s e n sibly , a v oid s tim ula n t s , e x e r cis e r e g ula rly a n d g e t ple n t y o f sle e p. K e e pin g y o u r b o d y h e alt h y will h elp y o u r min d c o p e wit h t h e p r e s s u r e s o f r u n nin g y o u r b u sin e s s.

Switch off - Learn how to s wit c h o ff p r o p e rly a t t h e e n d o f t h e d a y a n d a t w e e k e n d s t o o. R e sis t t h e u r g e t o c h e c k y o u r b u sin e s s e m ail o r lo g in t o y o u r w o r k s y s t e m s o u t o f h o u r s. R ela x a n d s wit c h o u t o f w o r k m o d e e n tir ely.

Enjoy natural d a ylig h t - T his is im p o r t a n t f o r y o u r m e n t al h e alt h a n d sle e pin g p a t t e r n s. It ’ s c o m m o n f o r p e o ple t o h a v e diffic ult y sle e pin g if t h e y d o n't g e t e n o u g h d a ylig h t. S o if y o u r o ffic e la c k s win d o w s , g e t o u t a t lu n c h tim e a n d t a k e a b r e a k in n a t u r al lig h t.

Be sociable - Being cooped up can stunt yo u r c r e a tivit y. G e t o u t! M e e t wit h p e o ple , c h a t a n d cir c ula t e t h o u g h t s a n d id e a s. T his im p r o v e s w ellb ein g a n d p r o d u c tivit y. Fin d a b u sin e s s m e n t o rin g g r o u p o r f rie n d s t h a t u n d e r s t a n d a n d h a v e c o ff e e w hile b r ain s t o r min g. Y o u will b e a m a z e d a t t h e c r e a tivit y t h a t flo w s.

Lastly, remember why you are in b u sin e s s! T hin k b a c k t o w h e n y o u s t a r t e d a n d a s k y o u r s elf w h y. Perhaps it was so you could have more independence, more money, greater intellectual challenge, or extra free time to spend with your family. All fantastic reasons to start a business.

It’s so important to keep your goals in mind, write them down and have them in a place where you can easily see and refer to them to remind yourself of why you are working so hard. My favourite thing is to create a vision slide show and add it to the home screen of my devices. So when they are resting, I am being reminded of what is important!

Your work-life balance affects how successful you'll be at running your business. Slaving away all the time will have a negative effect on both your business and your personal life.

If you take the time to get the balance right, you'll have a successful business – and the health and freedom to enjoy it.