Tips for Achieving a Positive Work Life Balance

For some people setting up and running their own business is a dream come true. However the reality can be very demanding; many owner managers find that they have to work long and sometimes antisocial hours to ensure that their business venture has a chance of becoming a success. Such a challenging lifestyle makes it difficult to maintain a positive work life balance. The problem is further exacerbated by technological advances which mean that it is practically always possible to be contactable.

Andrew Martin, Director of Scottish Centre of Tourism says, ìOne of the overriding messages from people who set up and run their own business is the amount of hours that they find themselves working. This is particularly true for businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry where many owner managers live on site. It is vital to not only recognise the importance of establishing a positive work life balance but to also take steps to achieve this goal. î

ìNetworking with like minded people can provide a forum for discovering better ways of working and tips for achieving a positive work life balance,î continues Andrew. ìThe Enterprising Tourism website, funded by The Robert Gordon University and the European Social Fund, was set up to provide an online networking environment for the exchange of ideas by businesses within the tourism and hospitality industry.î

Andrew has this advice for achieving a positive work life balance:

Make sure that running your own business is for you.

Running a business requires a certain type of mind set and quite simply will not be right for everyone. One of the main characteristics found in people who are successful at running their own business is self motivation. Andrew says, ìYou need to be able to work on your own initiative without social interaction and also without direct supervision or feedback. So if you are the kind of person who needs to be motivated by others in order to achieve the desired end result you should reconsider your options.î

Donít mix work and pleasure.

Working and living in the same place can be detrimental to achieving a good work life balance. People in this situation should ensure that areas of the premises are designation as home space. This is important for several reasons, not only will it allow privacy but it will also allow you to retain the mindset of leaving home to go to work ñ something that is very useful in getting the mind to focus on the day at work.

Andrew adds, ìSetting home and work space boundaries also means that at the end of the day it is possible to close the door on work and leave it behind.î

Take a break.

When working for yourself it is all too easy to work long hours and not take breaks. This is not healthy and in the long term will lead to a decline in your productivity. Instead you should take regular breaks. If necessary set a reminder in the calendar function on your computer so that you do not forget to take time out.

Donít become isolated.

Many people take for granted the interaction that they have with their colleagues at work and it is easy to forget the importance of this when working for yourself. Rather than expecting to get this support from family and friends you should keep in touch with people who are either in the same industry as you or those who also run their own business.

You could also make firm arrangements to meet people for lunch or coffee at a mutually convenient time. The additional benefit for you is that this will get you out of the office and ensure interaction with others. It also helps to further define the boundaries that you have set.