Technology

The balancing act of entrepreneurship

Having been self-employed since 1992, I have learned a lot about the balancing act involved in running a business. Entrepreneurs must choose what is practical and what takes priority. We have to prioritize and when we choose something, we have to be willing to make the sacrifices for that new task to happen. It is not long before new entrepreneurs discover that some activities are very urgent. Sometimes it feels like there is pressure and emotional pain and stress arise when we have to let go of something to get what needs to be done.

We constantly balance the business with what we want to achieve in life events and household chores. We also have to train people to understand that they can’t just pass by just because they know you’re home. We may need to make signs and post office hours to get the point home.

I learned that just because there are options and opportunities that others have been successful with doesn’t mean they are the right choice for you right now. Location, skills, talents, budget, time, and circle of influence – these all play an important role in what works for the individual.

I had to learn to see opportunities differently. Instead of stressing about all these things I have to do, I now see them as future opportunities and write them down in a file. When I go back to that archive, I celebrate the fact that I have all these great options to follow up when my hours open. Many business owners pay others a lot of money to find these opportunities. So instead of lamenting over having a “to do” list, look at it as a compilation of opportunities that await you.

Because we work from home, it is necessary to dedicate time to housework, preparing food, gardening, shopping, and all other activities of life and family. Working from home can often mean that we are loading and running multiple machines while working on the blog. We may be preparing meals part of the day, doing housekeeping duties, tackling that to-do list, and also returning business-related calls and emails. We bake bread while answering questions in an interview or water the lawn while writing an article. Those of us who are self-employed learn to multitask, that’s for sure.

At the same time, we must learn to say “No” when it comes to all the things that your family or friends think you should have time for. With the family, this often means that we must learn to delegate what needs to be done.

Home business owners should also have an “off” button. We have to be willing to schedule time to recharge those power batteries and recharge that bucket of happiness so that when we get back to that to-do list, we do it efficiently, with energy, enthusiasm, and fewer mistakes.

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