For entrepreneurs and visionaries, having work-life balance is a myth. Before I go any further, let’s make sure we are talking about the same thing:
Myth:
a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.a widely held but false belief or idea
a widely held but false belief or idea
There was a time, before the advent of constant connectivity, where some business owners may have had a version of work-life balance; myths are usually based on at least a pinch of truth. But the days of balance are gone and they are not coming back. As entrepreneurs, our work lives and home lives are no longer separated into tidy compartments. They are blended and that’s a good thing!
Let me take a step back. Here is why I don’t like the term work-life balance. When we think of balance our brains create an image of a scale and our natural inclination is to imagine that scale in perfect 50/50 balance. It is just what our brain does and it sets us up for failure right from the start. As technology seeps into every moment of our day, lines between work and life are blurred. Technology brings home to work and work to home. It tags along everywhere all the time. There can be no balance.
A more modern and sustainable model is to seek work-life blending. Instead of weighing up the proportion spent on each side of the scale and hoping to have them in equal parts, we should look to mix the right ingredients of our lives. Think of it as a shaker rather than scales. Rather than attempting to balance the two sides of the scale, we should look to find a blend that is uniquely suited to us, that will give us the greatest joy and happiness.
Besides, the work-life balance model assumes we want separation and today that simply isn’t true for most entrepreneurs and visionaries. We want to be connected and plugged in most of the time. It is an important part of life.
By acknowledging the myth of balance and seeking to blend, not only will you do away with the guilt about them mixing together, you will find yourself more realistically able to pursue a life where work and life blend together to help give you the life you dreamt of when we first started our businesses.
So how do you create your perfect work-life blend?
1. Determine your unique ingredients.
How your work-life blend “tastes” depends on what you put in the shaker. Only you can decide what work-life blend is exactly right for you. You must be brutally honest and selfish when you list your “must-haves” in life. You must decide what is truly important to you, what feeds your soul and brings you happiness, in order to know what your unique blend will be.
2. Create your own rules.
Work-life blending is about discovering your perfect mix. As an entrepreneur your mix will be very different from almost everyone else’s. You have chosen a lifestyle that most people don’t want and will never understand. If scaling up a business for sale in five years is something that you are passionate about, something that brings you great joy, then you must state that boldy! If being home everyday when your kids get home from school is essential to you, then claim it and don’t worry about what anyone thinks. Playing by other people’s rules is a game you can never win.
3. Focus on the handful of things that truly matter.
If work-life blending is going to work for you then you must focus your time and energy on the truly important.
Two time-proven principles to keep in mind here:
Pareto’s Law--80% of the results come from 20% of the time and effort.
Parkinson’s Law.--A task will swell in perceived importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion.
These laws put into action together are productivity dynamite:
Limit tasks to those that are truly important to shorten work time.
Shorten work time to limit tasks to only what is truly important.
Identify the few critical tasks that contribute most to your success and to the success of your business, as far as it depends on you, and schedule them with very short and clear deadlines. Doing this will free up time to spend on other activities that you truly love to do and that you are uniquely gifted at.
4. Execute with excellence.
Not only do you need to focus on the handful of things that truly matter, you need to do those things really well. This is required for work-life blending to be sustainable, both for you and your people. Business operating systems can have a dramatic impact on the success of your business. They provide focus, accountability, consistency, and awareness.
5. Change your blend as your life evolves.
As entrepreneurs, our lives evolve at a rapid rate. Priorities can and should change. The joy and reward of work-life blending comes from the process described above and adjusting it to your current situation, your unique journey.
A work/life blend that brings you true joy and happiness is something only you can discover and create. It takes intentionality, persistence, and an eye on the big picture. Once you find it you’ll be forever better because of it.
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If you are ready to begin the process of creating a work-life blend that is right for you, and help your people do the same, please click here.
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