Work-Life Balance: 5 Important Ways For Business Owners To Achieve It In Nigeria
You quit your job to start a new business and you expect that you'd now have a healthy work-life balance, right? No. Speaking from experience, business owners tend to have an even busy schedule than regular 9-5ers. This is especially true when it's a new business and you have to do shoulder all the responsibilities. This is a lot of work that can easily take a toll on you and result in burnout.
The first twelve months can be exhausting and many people tend to stop having a life. They lose themselves to their business and family, friends, and their health suffers. To many, this is a worthwhile sacrifice but if for some reason it fails, will you have a good support system?
What Really Is Work-Life Balance?
According to Jaime Marie, “Work-life balance is about creating a life that flows with you rather than a life you have to power through.” For Vidya Sury, “Work-life balance, to me, is when I open my laptop at 8 and work, focused, based on the schedule I created last night. I shut my laptop at six and focus on myself and family, and finally go to bed, smiling and satisfied.”
By these examples, we can see that it means different things to different people. A popular misconception is that both work and life should get the same number of hours allocated to them. This is not true and has mostly unsatisfactory results since one ends up suffering.
The Business Dictionary has an accurate definition of work-life balance. It defines it as a comfortable state of equilibrium achieved between one’s primary priorities of their employment and their private lifestyle. Find a balance that lets you grow your business while keeping a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally.
Why Is A Healthy Work-Life Balance Important For Business Owners In Nigeria?
Improved Mental Health
A huge benefit of a healthy work-life balance is having improved mental health. Having business problems and no emotional system increases stress which leads to burnout.
A person who has both balanced can easily deal with negative thoughts and emotions. When you have time to be aware of your feelings, you can easily process them and make adequate changes. You can read this guide to know how to keep your mental health in check.
Improved Physical Health
When you find a good balance, you are able to take good care of your physical health. You are able to eat right, get regular exercise, and sleep well. This improves your general health and immune system.
Improved Productivity and Creative Thinking
A calm mind is a pool of creativity. A mind that isn't thinking about marital problems has space to think. It is almost impossible to be productive when you are anxious and stressed. But balance gives you clear creative thinking with improved productivity.
How Can Business Owners Achieve A Healthy Work-Life Balance In Nigeria?
Set Realistic Goals
One of the fastest ways to burn out is to try to do everything at once. Even though it feels like twenty-four hours is not enough time to do everything, you have to set realistic goals for yourself.
A good way to do this is to make a daily and weekly to-do list in order of priority. When realistic goals are set and met, it gives you a boost and helps your productivity.
Learn How To Delegate Tasks
A lot of small-business owners try to do everything. They make social media posts, take customer orders, respond to queries, and make deliveries. This means there is little or no time to take a break or even a vacation.
To achieve a healthy balance, small business owners should learn to delegate tasks. You can hire an intern for social media, train an employee on taking orders, and let Heroshe handle your logistics needs. This helps you focus on the bigger picture of your business while spending quality time with loved ones.
Take Time Off To Rest
As we have established, it is very easy for entrepreneurs to become workaholics. This is why you need to take regular breaks to recharge and avoid getting mental burnout.
A good place to start is to stop working on weekends and public holidays. On days like this, learn to turn off your work phone and disconnect the work email. You should also take at least two weeks off annually to go on vacation.
Have Set Work Hours
In the world we live in today, it is almost impossible to owners of internet-based businesses to have closing hours. Many entrepreneurs work around the clock to please clients.
Availability throughout the day pushes you down a dangerous slope. To maintain a healthy work-life balance, set boundaries. Have opening and closing hours and stick to those hours.
Make Out Time For Exercise
Do you make out time for bathroom breaks when you get pressed while working? Do you take lunch breaks or take your bath before starting your work day? Dedicating thirty minutes to one hour thrice weekly to exercising is just as important.
Exercising helps you reduce stress and improves your mood because of the endorphins produced. This greatly improves your productivity. You don't necessarily have to go weightlifting. Find physical exercises you like and do them. You can do yoga, swim, jog, or take Zumba classes. Your body will thank you for it.
How Can Heroshe Help Small Business Owners?
Heroshe is a cross-border logistics and payments company. With your shipping needs duly fulfilled by us, you have enough time to take care of other aspects of your business.
Join 40,000+ Nigerians who have trusted us with their logistics and payments need. Sign up now on Heroshe. For more detailed tips like this, visit the blog and subscribe to the Heroshe newsletter.
