As a young entrepreneur my plate is very full. Between rigorous schoolwork in subjects such as math and Chinese and running my jewelry and proofreading businesses, I’ve definitely felt that I am juggling too many spinning plates! However, I’ve been able to find an effective balance between my education and my entrepreneurship through effective time-management techniques. Here are some of my top tips on how any entrepreneur can achieve a healthy and sustainable work-life balance.
Give Up Activities that Drain You of Energy and Time
Let’s face it, we all engage in activities that are draining. To figure out where I was wasting time and energy, I took an inventory of all my activities and analyzed it. I realized that I was spending too much time on social media, so I made the decision to drastically limit my social media use. Take time to learn which activities are taking too much time by tracking the activities, analyzing your findings, and deciding which activities you may want to limit or give up entirely.
Find Ways to Delegate
When I analyzed how I use my time, I realized that there are many activities that I can delegate. With my business, I realized that I was spending too much time posting on social media and doing other related activities. While I did not give up my social media use altogether, I did make the choice to delegate those tasks to other people. Once you find a task that is taking too much time and energy, ask yourself if you can delegate that task. Consider using sites like Fiverr and others to delegate and outsource time-consuming tasks.
Always Remember that Strategy Comes First
All entrepreneurs have an ultimate goal that reflects a strategy, and we take action and utilize tactics to achieve those goals. Entrepreneurs should focus on the long-term goals and how to achieve them with their strategy. This means that they should not become bogged down with the smaller steps of tactics. Successful entrepreneurs often gain help with tactics, such as through delegating based on an analysis of activities that are more strategic in nature and activities that are more tactical.
Know that Your Work-Life Balance Can Change
As you create a new work-life balance for yourself by cutting down time used for certain activities and delegating tasks, remember that things can change. As a young entrepreneur myself, I know that my schedule changes often, such as during finals week in school. Every so often, make sure to analyze how you use your time and make decisions to help you achieve a work-life balance every so often. As a student, I reassess my work-life balance when I have more school work, when I go on vacation, and when things change in my business. If you start to feel that you do not have a healthy work-life balance, I suggest you take a look at how you are spending time and adjust your schedule accordingly.