Find a Balance

As a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, we have the best of both worlds, don’t we? We are able to live our life as we choose, striving to attain our goals, hopes and dreams. Of course with all of this freedom and empowerment comes a heady dose of stress. Entrepreneurs have the common characteristic of biting off more than they can chew. I blame my father personally for this since he is the one that instilled this trait in me. 

All of this stress can have a negative effect on happiness and satisfaction. We don’t give ourselves time to celebrate. And stress has a scientifically proven effect on health and longevity. I’ve been researching this a bit for my own good and here are a few ideas I found to eliminate stress and live a balanced life.

* Schedule time for yourself – Entrepreneurs are all about planning, scheduling and doing, right? So schedule time for yourself every day. Small bits of time each day spent on self-care, exercise, a hobby or spending time with friends for example, is a great way to help eliminate stress while taking care of your mental and physical health. On top of those smaller bits of time, be sure to take time off each month, or find a way to take large chunks of time off each quarter or annually. Work hard, play hard.

* Outsource – Did you know you can actually outsource much of your work at surprisingly low cost? In fact, it actually makes sense to outsource tasks, particularly if it frees your time to focus on other more profitable tasks. Common tasks to outsource are class planners, newsletters, blog support, accountant/administrative tasks and even tasks like household cleaning and meal planning. Did you know there are membership sites that will plan your menu for the week and produce a shopping list? Need some ideas, just contact me.

* Use your resources – Chances are you have a support group, right? Friends, family and associates that are in your life are there to help you. Entrepreneurs are creative, right? Get creative when it comes to using your resources. Find ways to help each other out. Babysitting swapping is one common way to help a fellow female entrepreneur out. Band together to exercise or to simply get out and have fun on a regular basis like your team meetings. Your support group can help you stay motivated and help you find time to de-stress.

* Leave work at the office – Whether you have a home-based office or an outside office, it’s important to set limits for yourself. Obviously, you can work all day and all night – there’s always something to do, but that’s not balanced and the result will be burn-out, too much stress and general mental and physical fatigue. Set boundaries for yourself and stick to them.  I have a business phone line and I have dedicated myself to not answering the phone after work hours.

* Embrace technology – It’s amazing what technology can do for us to make life easier. It can automate our customer service, remind us of appointments, help us stay on track financially, DBWS store pages for order fulfillment, and of course newsletters that help us stay in touch with customers on a regular basis. Without creating more work for yourself, embrace technology to help make your life easier. Did you know I offer a newsletter service that helps you connect with your customers with little to no time on your part? Yay technology!

* Find a non-work activity that makes you smile – My new found activity is My Digital Studio. I’m having a ball creating my scrapbook albums and gifts for friends. Regularly make time for non-work activities that bring you joy and make you smile. In fact, take time right now to make a list of a dozen things you like to do, get on the phone or email and start scheduling them.

Can you have it all?  No, but you can have everything you need and want provided you take steps to make it happen. A balanced life is important for everyone and it’s particularly important for Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators like you who like to burn the candle at both ends. You’re smart – stay healthy and sane and take the steps necessary to live a more balanced life.