Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, is a prime example of someone who has recently let his business life completely consume his personal life. A fine line that must be kept in check for the longevity of your business and personal health. This concept of work-life harmony is one that often gets overlooked by new business owners and CEOs around the world.
To get a fresh perspective on this trending topic I took to the streets to ask ten small business owners what they do on a daily basis to keep within the lines of sanity and productivity.
Ask For Help When You Need It
“Number one would have to be knowing when to ask for help. While I can hustle and grind on my own, I’m nowhere near as productive or successful without the people I have around me in my business. Feeling comfortable with outsourcing, and asking for help/advice has been the most effective practice I’ve implemented in my life. I’m able to stick to my zone of genius and do what I love to do best. The other areas that don’t serve me, I just ask for help and outsource. It’s been a total gamechanger for me and allows me to live my best life both in my business and life outside it.”
— Paul Thomson, Founder, ThePaulThomson.com
Write Goals
“Goal writing and gratitude every few hours to recalibrate my brain towards abundance and focus is the number one thing because with this it allows me to keep the fire going and take massive action towards every goal on a daily basis. If you just take 1 step a day consistently towards your goal how far will you go?”
— Immy Tariq, CEO, Webmetrixgroup
Outsource When You Can
“The biggest thing for me to come to terms with was releasing the need to do everything myself. In order to scale, automate, and optimize your business, you have to be willing to outsource and hire the right talent to take over the day-to-day business activities. Once I realized this, I was able to scale more quickly and focus on making strategic business decisions instead of micromanaging and working on tasks that had little impact on overall business growth. At the end of the day, what do you want to be: a business manager or a business owner?”
— Melisa Vong, CEO, Namskara
Exercise Daily
“Exercising and hiring mentors who are already where you want to be. Even if I’m swamped or pressed up against a deadline, a 15-20 minute jog and a few pushups will resharpen my mind and allow me to focus better. The weeks when I don’t exercise I’m also not as productive or profitable in my business. Hiring mentors is also a necessity. Find someone who has already achieved what you want and actually listen and follow their advice. They can help with your mindset, overcoming obstacles or even just be a sounding board for when you get frustrated.”
— Michael Kittinger, Founder, Goldmine Digital Marketing
Don’t Focus On What Isn’t Working
“Being willing and ready to start over. I never sit and pretend to make things work that I invest in. I’ll start a new project and won’t lose an ounce of sleep.”
— Gallant Dill, award-winning entrepreneur and Founder, GallantDillMentoring
Prioritize Yourself
“The habit that has made the biggest impact on my business has been making myself the number one priority in the morning. What I mean by that is I work on my own business before diving into client needs. I send a daily email, write social media posts, and create content to grow my business. Then, I start working on client needs, answering emails, etc. It’s been a huge shift for us.”
— Nick Carpenter, Founder, The Legion Of Loan Officers
Make Friends Not Clients
“As a military daughter, I got the opportunity to meet hundreds of people across the globe… and this taught me one CRUCIAL LIFE LESSON. When growing my Coaching Business, I always put most of my energy into getting to know people on a personal level. Discovering their stories and who they truly are, instead of focusing on their bank account! This is how I had a chance to attract mentors, media, clients and profitable partnerships while building long-term relationships. This has helped me keep a healthy work-life balance because it’s like making new friends instead of handling clients.”
— Fanny Myth, Founder, Fanny Myth, the Frenchie Authority Coach
Talk To Yourself
“One of the biggest changes I’ve made in the last two years is swapping radio time for self-talk. On the way to work, driving to meetings, on the way home, etc. It allows me to think deeply on my goals and check myself where I’m not being disciplined. I would make the argument that being self-aware comes before everything else on the road to success.”
— Hunter Ballew, Founder, HunterBallew.com
What Is Your Vision?
“It all depends on what you want to optimize for. If you want to grow fast and become the best sometimes you have to sacrifice that balance for a while. If you want to optimize for happiness and are okay with growing slower, then you can work fewer hours spending more time on leisure.”
— Nicholas Kirchner, Marketing genius and Founder, Pixsuls
Self-Awareness Is The Foundation
“My number one life practice for work-life balance is actually implementing self-awareness into my day to day routines. As an entrepreneur, I spend a lot of time working anyways, so for me, it’s not about set rules or times, but checking in and listening to myself when I need a break or a day off. I began this practice by setting alerts on my phone that would remind me to check in with myself, now I’m able to maintain that awareness throughout the day and I’ve learned that when I follow my inner guidance to take breaks, practice self-care, socialize, etc. I am much more productive when I’m sitting down to work and I’m of much greater service to my clients.”
— Sarah Renee, Founder, Sarah Renee, Inc.