7 Tips For Balancing Work and Life When You’re Self Employed
I’ve been working for myself / from home for about 3 years. Crazy! I can’t believe it sometimes. When I first quit my job and started working from my “home office” aka my coffee table in my living room, there were definitely some rough days. Some days I would literally be sitting in the same spot on the couch for 8 hours straight, in my pajamas, without even breaking to take a shower. You would think I got a lot done, right? Not really. A lot of the time, I struggled to stay focused and find direction so I’d end up staring at my computer until bedtime. Since then, I’ve managed to make some changes and become more productive, as well as balancing my day.
How to Balance Work And Home Life When You’re Self Employed
If you’re self employed, or considering making the jump into blogging, there’s a good chance you’ll work from home. Working from home can be tricky, especially when there are distractions like pets, kids & Netflix. Here are my 7 tips for balancing work when you’re self employed!
Don’t Sleep In!
A common misconception I encounter pretty frequently is that I sleep in until 11 am. Trust me, there are days when I want to sleep in and watch TV all day. But one of the most important practices I’ve implemented is waking up just like I would if I had to go to an office. My alarm goes off at 8 AM every day. I like to get up, drink my coffee & check emails. Then, I head to the gym. 5 days a week, like clockwork. I go to the gym every work day at 9:45 for a few reasons. First, it’s a really good way to force myself out of the house. You know, get some fresh air & have some human interaction. It’s also a great way to kickstart my brain and help chill out my anxiety/reduce stress. You can read more about my morning routine here!
Create a Daily Routine
Having a daily schedule is really helpful when you’re trying to maintain work-life balance. I like to batch work and time block. That doesn’t mean you necessarily have to have an hour by hour schedule, but it’s helpful to implement scheduling habits to avoid getting stuck on one task or distracted by one thing.
I like to schedule all of my calls for one day a week. Usually Tuesdays because I use Monday as a “catch up” day to kind of organize my week and figure out what’s going on. By scheduling calls for one day, it helps me from having random calls booked throughout the week that interfere with my productivity. I also use a time cube for certain tasks like checking social media, pinning content, emailing, etc. That way I don’t accidentally waste 4 hours scrolling through photos or responding to emails.
I also like to take a mid day break to eat lunch. I try really hard to NOT eat in front of the computer. Taking a break is really helpful with productivity and creativity!
Schedule Me Time
One thing that’s really hard for me is scheduling time for myself. If I have an extra hour, my instinct is to catch up on work. It’s really easy to put yourself second when you’re trying to build a business. If you don’t take care of yourself though, work will suffer. I try to carve out a few hours a week to do something fun like grabbing happy hour drinks with a friend, or taking Doug for a bike ride. Even something as simple as buying yourself a mid day ice cream! If you’re looking for a little more self care, check out my checklist!
Disconnect From the Internet
Yes, you read that correctly. Take a social media break! I’m guilty of constantly checking my emails and social media, even when I shouldn’t be. Sometimes it’s really hard to disconnect from it, even when we’re hanging out with friends or watching TV. Don’t get me wrong, I love scrolling through my Instagram feed, but it’s easy to waste a ton of time on it and distract yourself from what’s going on around you.
Leave your phone at home when you go to dinner, or simply put your iPad away when you’re watching TV. Leave the internet alone and focus your attention on something that’s good for your soul like spending time with friends or relaxing in the bath!
Take A Chill Pill
I’m the queen of stressing out. I want to do everything and I want to do it now. I’m a strong believer that you can create the life you dream of and can accomplish anything. BUT, you can’t do it all at once. And that’s ok. So you have to remind yourself to chill out and not put too much pressure on yourself.
Try not to over book yourself or overload yourself with work. If you overload yourself, your work will suffer. Know your capacity and try to remind yourself that it’s ok to take a step back and relax.
Schedule Time With Other People
This sounds like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised. Sometimes when Tony’s on tour, I’ll go DAYS without seeing other people. It can turn into full on cabin fever. Even though I’m independent, I still need social interaction. Just because I’m self employed doesn’t mean I need to hibernate in my office for weeks at a time.
I make an effort to schedule at least 2 “dates” with friends or my boyfriend a week. I also schedule meetings at local coffee shops and opt in for events when they come up. Not only are they great for networking, but they’re an excuse to get out and about!
Have A Designated Work Area
I’m lucky to have an office at this point, but you don’t need an entire room to be your office. There just needs to be separation between where you work and where you live. If you work on the couch, it will make it hard to relax even when you put your computer away because it won’t feel like you’ve “left your office”. Create a little spot that’s just for your work. It will help you be more productive and make it easier to differentiate work time from home time.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out my post about taking an unconventional career path!