We always strive to achieve a work-life balance, although it is pretty elusive. Working from home makes achieving a work-life balance quite a struggle. eCommerce business owners are masters at multitasking. The modern business owner struggles to find a perfect work-life balance between running a business, homemaking and juggling zoom calls.
Being an online business owner means being intentionally present for your family and business. It means tending to your family even as you scale your business. Managing all this can be overwhelming.
Tips To Achieve Work-life Balance
1. Set Expectations of Realistic Timelines
You need to set expectations for yourself, your team, and your customers. Give yourself enough time to work on your customers' needs. Also, allow time for any eventualities that may make you miss set timelines. This way, your team and your customers get maximum satisfaction working with you.
Setting realistic timelines allows you to bring your A-game as you work without overly rushing. Working with a 3PL company can also help with your timelines.
2. Set Boundaries and Stick To Them
eCommerce business owners greatly benefit from setting boundaries and sticking to them. It would help if you had clear boundaries with your kids and partner. They need to know that you are unavailable at a specific time. Kids are always picking on each other, and they will always distract you. For example, let them know you are working from 9 am to 12 pm, and they should not disturb you.
Boundaries allow you to focus separately on work and family. For example, your inbox may not be empty, but when it is family time, keep your computer or phone away to resist the temptation to look at them.
Be Transparent With Your Team Your team is as good as you are. You are their chief motivation. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed, let them know. You are human too. You also experience burnout like everyone else. Restrain from over-promising and under-delivering. Being transparent maintains a positive work relationship with your team. Also, let them know whenever you are unavailable. Family emergencies may arise. So, tell them you will be away.
3. Give Yourself Grace
Most business owners are pretty hard on themselves. They are always aware of their weaknesses and struggles. Giving yourself grace will free you from perfectionism. You need to admit that you do not know everything and that you can't do it all, all at the same time.
How To Prevent Burnout
Most business owners hardly get time for self-care or sleep. Yet, they are always on their feet, making everyone else's lives better except their own. Your body will claim the proper rest that you have denied it with time.
Enter overwhelm and burnout. This is when you are least productive. Here are a few tips to help prevent burnout.
- Plan: It helps to have a planner for your daily tasks.
- Get help: Enlist the help of your partner, kids, or babysitter to keep up with the house chores.
- Get rest: Allow yourself rest time between long blocks of work.
- Prioritize: Choose the tasks or events to attend. Then, outsource whatever you can and skip the events you can.
How To Stay Fulfilled
1. Take Time for Self-care
Your family and work deserve the best version of yourself. Set time every week to zone out and work on yourself. You can visit the spa, sleep or work on your hobby. Caring for yourself allows you to be a better business owner, leader, friend, and partner.
Taking time out every week allows you to look back to see whether you have achieved your goals and refresh for the next week.
2. Set Realistic Goals
Ticking off goals brings a sense of achievement and fulfillment. You can set a few realistic goals at the beginning of the week. Then, on the weekends, you can check how many you achieved. Setting unrealistic goals will cause you to feel like a failure. Instead, differentiate between goals that require months to complete and those that can happen in a week. As you tick off those you accomplished, they will motivate you for the next week and help you stay fulfilled.
3. Avoid Comparison
There are lots of implied expectations through social media. Sadly, many entrepreneurs fall prey to them, especially when they see others doing better. Restrain from comparing yourself with other business owners. We all have different races to run. You will stay fulfilled if you avoid making such comparisons.
4. Stay Positive
Stay away from friends and family who drain you with their negative energy and surround yourself with positivity.
With the recent global pandemic, working from home is the new normal. Therefore, we can only expect a continuous rise in the number of online business owners working from home in the future. Also, business owners will be better equipped for work-life balance thanks to the treasure of information available on the same. As a result, many working moms will prefer working from home because of its flexibility and convenience.
For more helpful tips, please subscribe to our newsletter.
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We always strive to achieve a work-life balance, although it is pretty elusive. Working from home makes achieving a work-life balance quite a struggle. eCommerce business owners are masters at multitasking. The modern business owner struggles to find a perfect work-life balance between running a business, homemaking and juggling zoom calls.
Being an online business owner means being intentionally present for your family and business. It means tending to your family even as you scale your business. Managing all this can be overwhelming.
Tips To Achieve Work-life Balance
1. Set Expectations of Realistic Timelines
You need to set expectations for yourself, your team, and your customers. Give yourself enough time to work on your customers' needs. Also, allow time for any eventualities that may make you miss set timelines. This way, your team and your customers get maximum satisfaction working with you.
Setting realistic timelines allows you to bring your A-game as you work without overly rushing. Working with a 3PL company can also help with your timelines.
2. Set Boundaries and Stick To Them
eCommerce business owners greatly benefit from setting boundaries and sticking to them. It would help if you had clear boundaries with your kids and partner. They need to know that you are unavailable at a specific time. Kids are always picking on each other, and they will always distract you. For example, let them know you are working from 9 am to 12 pm, and they should not disturb you.
Boundaries allow you to focus separately on work and family. For example, your inbox may not be empty, but when it is family time, keep your computer or phone away to resist the temptation to look at them.
Be Transparent With Your Team Your team is as good as you are. You are their chief motivation. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed, let them know. You are human too. You also experience burnout like everyone else. Restrain from over-promising and under-delivering. Being transparent maintains a positive work relationship with your team. Also, let them know whenever you are unavailable. Family emergencies may arise. So, tell them you will be away.
3. Give Yourself Grace
Most business owners are pretty hard on themselves. They are always aware of their weaknesses and struggles. Giving yourself grace will free you from perfectionism. You need to admit that you do not know everything and that you can't do it all, all at the same time.
How To Prevent Burnout
Most business owners hardly get time for self-care or sleep. Yet, they are always on their feet, making everyone else's lives better except their own. Your body will claim the proper rest that you have denied it with time.
Enter overwhelm and burnout. This is when you are least productive. Here are a few tips to help prevent burnout.
- Plan: It helps to have a planner for your daily tasks.
- Get help: Enlist the help of your partner, kids, or babysitter to keep up with the house chores.
- Get rest: Allow yourself rest time between long blocks of work.
- Prioritize: Choose the tasks or events to attend. Then, outsource whatever you can and skip the events you can.
How To Stay Fulfilled
1. Take Time for Self-care
Your family and work deserve the best version of yourself. Set time every week to zone out and work on yourself. You can visit the spa, sleep or work on your hobby. Caring for yourself allows you to be a better business owner, leader, friend, and partner.
Taking time out every week allows you to look back to see whether you have achieved your goals and refresh for the next week.
2. Set Realistic Goals
Ticking off goals brings a sense of achievement and fulfillment. You can set a few realistic goals at the beginning of the week. Then, on the weekends, you can check how many you achieved. Setting unrealistic goals will cause you to feel like a failure. Instead, differentiate between goals that require months to complete and those that can happen in a week. As you tick off those you accomplished, they will motivate you for the next week and help you stay fulfilled.
3. Avoid Comparison
There are lots of implied expectations through social media. Sadly, many entrepreneurs fall prey to them, especially when they see others doing better. Restrain from comparing yourself with other business owners. We all have different races to run. You will stay fulfilled if you avoid making such comparisons.
4. Stay Positive
Stay away from friends and family who drain you with their negative energy and surround yourself with positivity.
With the recent global pandemic, working from home is the new normal. Therefore, we can only expect a continuous rise in the number of online business owners working from home in the future. Also, business owners will be better equipped for work-life balance thanks to the treasure of information available on the same. As a result, many working moms will prefer working from home because of its flexibility and convenience.
For more helpful tips, please subscribe to our newsletter.