All Work & No Play Can Hurt You

Raise your hand if you can’t stop looking at your email when you are supposed to be on vacation.

As we all become addicted to our electronic devices and constant need for instant information, are we making things better or worse?
 
There is no doubt that being a small-business owner you probably put in more hours than the average 9-to-5 worker, but that is exactly why it is more important to be aware of the benefits of striking a work-life balance.

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According to a survey by the Harvard Business School, 94 percent of working professionals reported working more than 50 hours per week, and half said they worked more than 65 hours a week. Does this sound like your typical week as a small-business owner, or are you even working more hours than that? Experts agree that the compounding stress from a never-ending workday can damage relationships, health, and overall happiness.
 
In a recent article, author and award-winning freelance journalist Deborah Jian Lee provides these six tips for achieving a better work-life balance:

• Let go of perfectionism
  
• Unplug
• Exercise and meditate
• Limit time-wasting activities and people
  
• Change the structure of your life
• Start small. Build from there
  

 
Let’s face it — no one is perfect. Trying to be perfect is going to add stress to your already stressful life. Practice good habits and realize mistakes will be made and nothing is as easy as it looks. Don’t beat yourself up when things go wrong; instead, feel a sense of accomplishment when you fix them.
 
Unplugging may be viewed as a “time-out” or a penance, but it can also save you from non-stop work. If you don’t have a distraction or time to yourself, then you will not stop the work treadmill that you are on. Read a book, watch television, go on a date, visit a relative, and do anything but constantly look at your computer, cell phone, or email.
 
Exercise should be part of your daily routine. Walking is a good exercise if you do it regularly. Fitbit devices help track your progress and you can add your friends’ progress to make it more fun.
 
Meditation relieves tension and is good for the overall health of your mind and body. Try to avoid activities and people that waste your time. Replace that with fun activities and people with whom you enjoy spending time. Take time to relax with folks that make you laugh. If you realize you need to declutter, or simplify your life, then get help from experts that offer those services, unless you can do it yourself.

Finally — thinking about all these things that balance your life is stressful itself and can be over whelming.

Start small — one step at a time, pick one thing you can change that frees you from work, and build from there. Work hard, but don’t forget to play hard too. It just may be what the doctor orderedRaise your hand if you can’t stop looking at your email when you are supposed to be on vacation. As we all become addicted to our electronic devices and constant need for instant information, are we making things better or worse?
 
There is no doubt that being a small-business owner you probably put in more hours than the average 9-to-5 worker, but that is exactly why it is more important to be aware of the benefits of striking a work-life balance.

Article published in the BJNN on September 17, 2018

Author: Michael Cartini is a Certified Business Advisor at the Small Business Development Center located at Onondaga Community College.  Contact him at m.j.cartini@sunyocc.edu