EXCERPT: BALANCING WORK AND LIFE AS AN ENTREPRENEUR
By Dwayne Robinson, author of How to Start a Business
One of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs is finding a balance between work and personal life. My spouse and daughter would probably agree that I failed miserably in this area. Starting your own business can be an all-consuming endeavor. Still, it is important to remember that taking care of yourself and maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial for long-term success.
Setting boundaries is one of the first steps in balancing work and life as an entrepreneur. This means establishing precise working hours, sticking to them, and making time for yourself and your loved ones outside of work. Getting caught up in the excitement of starting a new business is easy, but it is important to remember that burnout is a real risk if you do not recharge.
Another critical aspect of balancing work and life as an entrepreneur is prioritization. This means identifying and focusing on your most important tasks first rather than getting bogged down in busy work that can be delegated or postponed. By prioritizing your tasks and setting clear goals for yourself, you can ensure that you make the most of your time and energy.
It is not uncommon for entrepreneurs excited to operate and grow their businesses to lose sight of the importance of work-life balance. Immersion in business tasks can inadvertently place them at the forefront of one’s priorities. However, it’s essential to carve out time to detach and rejuvenate.
Whether through exercise, leisure activities, or vacations with loved ones, finding equilibrium between work and personal life is vital. The to-do list for your enterprise is endless, but not paying attention to individual health or relationships for the sake of business success can lead to regret.
I remember a Department of Defense customer once tasked me with constructing a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, a SCIF, for classified operations related to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The company at the time was small but growing. Servicing this request represented an excellent opportunity to solve a high-priority problem for an important customer.
Despite my lack of experience, I embraced the intricate and highly regulated endeavor propelled by its mission-critical importance. I dedicated myself wholeheartedly to the project, pouring countless hours of effort into it.
Along the way, I started experiencing occasional discomfort in my abdomen, but I pushed through, disregarding the signs and insisting on completing the project. One year later, our hard work paid off as we obtained certification, and the facility became fully operational – six months sooner than expected.
The following day, my abdominal discomfort escalated to excruciating pain, leading to a health crisis that hospitalized me for weeks due to diverticulitis, a serious condition requiring urgent surgery to rectify twisted intestines. Medical professionals cautioned that my entrepreneurial pursuits could have been halted abruptly had my spouse not insisted on taking me to the emergency room that night. Fortunately, I made a complete recovery from this ordeal. However, it served as a poignant reminder of the essential balance between business pursuits and personal health and well-being.
