It's no secret that achieving a work-life balance can be tough. The boundary between work and personal life used to be very obvious. Today, though, work is more likely to intrude on your personal time, and preserving a healthy work-life balance is no easy feat.

With the never-ending demands of running our businesses and the myriad of responsibilities we can have at home, it can feel like there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done. But do not despair, sis! There are plenty of ways to achieve work-life balance, it just takes some effort and planning. In this post, we share our top 7 ways to do just that.

Don't overschedule yourself

This is essential to making sure you set aside enough time for your relationships and favourite pastimes. According to the Mayo Clinic, controlling your calendar to ensure you have enough time to do everything is a smart place to start. Avoid overcommitting yourself, and have the ability to decline requests for time that you don't have.

Create daily to-do lists to help you stay on track

As a female entrepreneur, you most likely already know how tough it is to remember every single meeting, appointment, and task that needs to be completed off the top of your head. A bulleted checklist of the day's tasks helps you organize your time effectively so that you don't spend your entire day on just a small number of things by giving you a visual depiction of all you need to get done at work.

Learn to delegate work effectively

Although it's difficult, delegation is doable. As female entrepreneurs, we tend to make excuses for not delegating tasks, such as "it's easier to just do it myself" or "it takes less time to do it myself rather than train someone else." But the truth is that you have a limited amount of capacity, as does your company. You'll need to expand your capacity if you wish to expand your business. Delegating falls under this.

Keep in mind that sharing responsibility with members of your team requires being open, truthful, and communicative on a regular basis. Recognize your daily limitations and put your trust in others around you to lend a hand when necessary. Delegating tasks is also a key component of time management. By not trying to handle everything yourself, you'll free up a lot of time and experience less stress when the inevitable surprise arises.

Prioritize your health and wellbeing

Your primary priority should be your general physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Make time for therapy sessions if you need help navigating anxiety, trauma, depression, or any other curve balls that life throws your way. Prioritize this support, even if it means logging off from work early.

Exercise is also frequently deprioritized by many business owners. You tell yourself you'll go to the gym after you wrap up work for the day, but then you work until it's really late. Once you're finished with your tasks, you're more tempted to binge-watch your favourite Netflix series in your pyjamas until you fall asleep. While doing things you enjoy is great, regular exercise is equally crucial to achieving a better work-life balance.

Unplug when you feel the need to do so

There will always be another customer, email, or fire that has to be put out - but it's crucial to know when to stop and take a break! Have faith that the issue can be resolved by someone else on your team, or that it won't be so serious that you can't handle it the following business day.

Numerous studies have shown that people need more sleep and that sleep deprivation has an impact on their health and wellbeing. Try to unplug an hour before bedtime as much as you can because exposure to devices shortly before bed might have a detrimental impact on the quality of your sleep.

Another way to unplug can be as simple as using your daily commute (if you have one) to practice transit meditation, rather than checking work emails. Just be sure to find ways that work for you to occasionally cut ties with the outer world so you can connect with yourself and create room for new thoughts and ideas.

Make time for yourself and your loved ones

Even though your business is important to you, it shouldn't take up all of your time!

Before starting on your entrepreneurial journey, you were a unique person with hobbies and other favourite pastimes.

Give priority to those interests or pursuits that bring you joy. Schedule some personal time on your calendar if you find it difficult to step away from your work.

If you have plans with friends after work, schedule that time like you would any other meeting. Additionally, it is beneficial to receive reminders throughout the day to prevent temptation from derailing your objectives.

Just because your business keeps you busy doesn't mean you should put off maintaining your personal connections.

Accept that there is no ‘perfect’ work-life balance

It's okay if on some days you find yourself sneaking your phone into bed and, three hours later, you're finally escaping social media's grasp. All new habits take time to develop. Instead of aiming for the ideal schedule, make a realistic one. You might put more of your attention into work on some days, while on other days, you might have more time and energy to engage in hobbies or spend time with loved ones. Achieving balance is a gradual journey that takes time and does not happen in just one day!

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