Separating Your Business From Your Personal Life
We get to live a more meaningful life when every aspect of our lives are nurtured, and this includes our personal lives, away from all the hustle and bustle of work.
Working from home brings many pros and only perhaps some cons
But having a balanced lifestyle does not come easy for a lot of entrepreneurs, as it takes a lot of effort, commitment, and time to grow a business. As such, work can take up a considerable portion of an entrepreneur’s life, which can lead to burnout and even mental health disorders.
But the good news is, there are simple steps you can take to make sure that you live a more balanced life. And to help you out, we’ve listed some tips to help you separate business from your personal life.
Monitor work hours and establish boundaries
The amount of time you put into your work on a daily basis will vary based on different factors. You can easily clock in hours on end focusing on your business, and not notice that the sun has already gone down.
Therefore, it’s important that you monitor your work hours and establish boundaries that will help you lead a more productive life, both at work and at home.
An easy way to do this is by writing down what time you want to disconnect from work for the day. Add it to your long lists of tasks, so that it would be easier for you to stick to it.
Schedule time for relationships
If you practice time blocking with your work schedule, you can also try it out for your personal life, especially when it comes to your relationships. This is very important because studies have shown that having meaningful relationships is a major contributing factor in leading a richer and more fulfilling life. When it comes to your family or friends, make sure you schedule time for them and write it down on your calendar, so you prioritize them.
...and also for yourself to unplug
As much as relationships are important, you shouldn’t forget to allot some time for yourself to ‘unplug’. As a busy entrepreneur, it’s crucial that you are able to rest, process, and recharge. There are several ways you can unplug and destress, from taking a long walk to doing some yoga. But with a tight schedule, it’s easy to just say to yourself that you’ll do it tomorrow or next week, and eventually not do it at all.
Making time for yourself means actually relaxing on your own. Of course, it’s important to spend time with family and friends, but carving out just half an hour to unwind and relax will do wonders for your well-being.
Separate your work and living spaces
Most health experts warn against watching TV or going on tech gadgets before you sleep because it makes it harder for you to fall asleep faster and get quality sleep. Well, it’s the same thing with your work and living spaces. Working in different rooms in your house can cause problems. By doing this, it can make you associate your entire home with your business, making it difficult to focus on personal time once you’re done with work for the day. That is why you should set up a dedicated office space and only conduct business in that one area as much as possible.
The same goes for your finances
Aside from spaces, it’s also essential to keep your personal finances separate from your business finances, and vice versa. Maintaining a distinct separation between the two, can not only help you live a more balanced life, but it also helps protect your personal assets, and keep you away from any potential accounting headaches. This is something that comes by design, too. Instead of setting up your business as a sole proprietorship, forming an LLC differentiates your business as a separate legal entity from your personal finances. Although this may sound trivial, it will actually help you consciously separate the two as well, and make you think of the two separately.