Balancing business and life is difficult for any person. It tests you to a limit where you question yourself throughout multiple stages in the business ‘Why the heck am I doing this to again? Why wasn’t I satisfied with the 9 to 5’. The fact is most women who I know that have entered business have either decided to so they could stay home and be flexible with their children or have had a deeper sense of purpose that has driven them to create a business to serve it.
We are also the women that feel the mummy guilt, the pressure to maintain the same perfect home, cook the perfect meals and make sure the kids make it to school with two school shoes not one thong and a batman dress up boot. We get frazzled and at times overwhelmed. So how can we find balance in this daily grind of business and being a woman.
Stop setting unrealistic expectations on yourself.
I do it, we all do it. We push ourselves to GET IT DONE all the while putting unnecessary stress on our bodies and our home. Yes, there are times when this is needed such as a deadline but for the most part we just need to give ourselves a little realistic break. Set 3 achievable tasks that you want to get done in the day and just do that. If you get more done that’s a bonus.
My social studies teacher used to always say this to me ‘The Key to success is organisation’ and I hate to admit it because let’s face it who likes to side with a teacher but she was correct. I got myself a simple weekly planner, wrote down a list of my life dividing it into 3 categories:
- The rocks- the things that are important to me or must be done like work, cooking, food ordering/shopping, family time and don’t laugh…… cleaning.
- The pebbles- the things I would like to get done and priorities like working out (yuk I hate it but I know I need to do it!), homework (I don’t believe in it but know it needs to get done at some stage)
- The sand- the fun things that I’ll do if I can get around but aren’t important if I don’t like learning to play the drums and break dancing or organising my linen cupboard.
Doing this takes the overwhelm out of not knowing what should be done next and reduces stress levels. It also keeps you on task to chip away at things.
Get some decent shut eye ladies.
It’s important to reset and recharge not to mention more sleep prior to 12am gives you that additional beauty sleep, you know the one that helps rebuild your body. But if you’re a night owl like me and love to work late because you find your late night groove then find some practice that winds you down for bed so your head turns off. A friend of mine told me to do the ol’ pen and pad brain dump. Get it out and on paper so you can drop that mind chatter. Alternatively, light stretching or deep breathing techniques prior to bed can also help ease the hyperactive mind.
Get your gut in shape.
I’m not talking about that tyre! I’m talking about keeping your immune system and gut health in check. Studies show that stress decreases your immune system and that gut health is linked to our emotional brain. Nurturing your gut with good prebiotic foods like wholesome vegetables, fermented food and natural herbs and spices such as ginger, turmeric, garlic is very important.
Giving your gut that extra boost will help powerup your immune system and help prevent you from downtime with those nasty bugs. Chuck in a good naturopathic grade probiotic to top up that good gut bacteria too.
Get happy, be kind to yourself and honour your needs.
Daily I need a coffee and a little piece of chocolate. This is a fact and a definite ‘don’t you dare mess with it’ need. It may not be the best for me but I don’t care. So, find what honours you on a daily basis that gives you that time out and a little pick you up. It could be meditation, a green smoothie or a walk or a dance class but chose it, lock it in your daily planner and do it!
Being in business can be a beautiful thing if you can get yourself in a good flow, be open to be spontaneous and being realistic about what you can achieve. But remember the most important thing is to make sure you’re are fine. Because the business cannot go on if you can’t.
Here’s my recap.
1. Be realistic with yourself and what you can achieve daily.
2. Divide your day into pre-planned blocks
3. Get some decent sleep
4. Nurture your immune system by keeping your gut health in check
5. Choose a little activity that you do daily that will honour you.
We Are Emersyn uses an inclusive definition “female” and “women” and we welcome trans people, women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who identify, have identified, or have been identified as female, women, or non-binary.