The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Achieving Work Life Balance This Summer
I don’t need to remind you that summer is coming. It’s not the type of thing you have to mark down in your day planner.
Why?
Most of us look forward to the Dog Days of Summer all year long. And for good reason. Summer offers endless possibilities: backyard barbecues, ice cold lemonade, outdoor activities, trips to the lake or beach, farmers markets, ice cream parlors and so much more.
When summer rolls around, we’re reminded of memories of how we spent summers growing up. Each of us has summer traditions we hold near and dear to us. I have fond memories of going to South Carolina in the summer to visit my Grandmother Quinn. We had family cookouts complete with decadent homemade ice cream and tennis matches with my cousins.
But many entrepreneurs feel mixed emotions as the summer season approaches. They don’t know how they’ll manage to squeeze R&R into their summer.
Some are incredibly busy and aren’t sure how to manage the plethora of responsibilities on their plate. They don’t want to drop the ball, leave their clients hanging or break the momentum in their business.
Others are distraught that they haven’t met their targets and aren’t on track to meet their sales or business development goals. They don’t see how they can justify “off time” when they have bills to pay.
Can you relate?
Work Life Balance Matters.
Whichever category you fall into, finding time to enjoy summer isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.
Work life balance has an obvious impact on your relationships. It’s important to carve out quality time for friends, family, your partner and your children. The word “quality” is key here. You may not be in a position to take the entire summer off to lounge by the pool or jet off to the Bahamas, but you should make time to enjoy your loved ones. Show them that while your business is important, you value and prioritize your relationships.
Work life balance also has a direct impact on your business. If you don’t take time for yourself, you will inevitably burn out, doing a disservice to yourself and your clients. Work stress takes its toll on your body and hinders your ability to be creative, problem solve effectively and put your best foot forward. Taking time to recharge this summer – and throughout the year – will give you the energy you need to work your business and make it prosper.
Here are 3 practical action steps you can take to achieve work life balance this summer without letting your business suffer:
1. Establish your top priorities.
What are 5 things you want to do this summer? Maybe you want to take a long weekend getaway out of town with your best friend, sister or spouse. Maybe you have a wedding or birthday celebration you have to attend. Or perhaps you want to get in a weekly yoga class. Whatever it is, put your top priorities in writing. Staying consistent in your business is key, so you can’t disappear to Tahiti for the whole summer. But by establishing your priorities now, you ensure time is set aside to do the activities that make your life meaningful and enjoy time with the people you value most.
One of my summer priorities this summer is to attend The Women of Global Change Summit. This year I will be going to Jamaica for a week to focus on personal development as well giving back by participating in a WGC service project. Please email me if you’re interested in hearing more about the Summit!
Another priority of mine this summer is to spend time with my husband Mike in Florida. This is one of our beloved traditions because it celebrates the fact that we first met in High School in Hollywood, Florida. Every summer, we carve out time to go back to Hollywood Beach and spend a few days with our oldest and dearest High School friends.
2. Pencil them into your calendar today.
Once your priorities are clear, pencil your priorities into your schedule. Family time, social activities and “me time” should be treated like any other event on your schedule. When you put these events in writing and assign them time slots just as you would your work responsibilities, you are more likely to honor them.
Some of the time you block off will be recurring. For example, you might block off time each Sunday morning for Church and family brunch, every Wednesday for spin class at the gym, or Friday evenings for date night with your partner. You can even set small time blocks that recur daily, like 20 minutes of reading before bed or 5 minutes each morning for meditation before you start your day.
If you don’t have a Day Planner, get one! You should also be penciling in the daily actions you need to take in order to grow your business, from attending networking events and managing your social media platforms to completing a set number of complimentary sales and follow up calls.
3. Delegate what you can.
If your goal is to enjoy more time off this summer, you have the perfect incentive to start delegating. It can take some getting used to, especially if you have the attitude that things are easier when you just do them yourself. But delegating is a skill that, when mastered, frees up invaluable time. Building a team of experts around you will enable you to spend time doing what you do best, such as sales, marketing, or coaching. It will also afford you the flexibility to do the things you love outside of business. To set your team up for success, make sure they know your expectations and have the resources and tools necessary to meet them.
I am blessed to have one of the best teams that supports many of our clients as well as my own business. I have always strived to surround myself with the best, most highly skilled team possible. I am grateful for my team’s commitment to doing their best work to help me realize my vision.
4. Learn to say “No”.
Are you the type of person who agrees to do things or go places when you would rather not? If you find yourself saying “yes” when you would rather say “no”, now is the prime time to break the habit. If you don’t, you’ll be in a position where you’re so overextended and exhausted that you have little time to relax and enjoy yourself this summer. Hopefully you have set professional and personal goals this year. If you are asked to do something that doesn’t bring you closer to reaching your goals, don’t be afraid to say “no” or “not this time”. Learning to say “no” can be incredibly liberating and open you up to accept opportunities that align with your values.
5. Double your efforts.
If you want to take a holiday or work shorter work weeks in July or August, double down during the month of June. Double your targets for daily complimentary sales calls, attend twice as many networking events and schedule your social media posts and writing your summer newsletters in advance. Be laser focused and finish the month strong, knowing that you have put forth your best effort. This will help give you peace of mind that you aren’t “falling behind” when you block off more time than usual to enjoy the summer months.
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At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I empower entrepreneurs and sales teams to work more productively so they can create lives they love without jeopardizing their business growth or bank accounts.
Do you want to build a Legacy Business that will afford you the ability to design the summer of your dreams for many years to come?
If your answer is “yes”, don’t let another summer pass filled with regret or missed opportunities. The time to take action is NOW.
Contact me today to learn practical tools designed to help you “Double Plus” your income.
Up Next: You’re Invited
We invite our local community to visit us on June 22, 2017 from 11:00 to 1:00 p.m. at the 1818 Club for the WGC Atlanta Chapter meeting. Pre-registration for the event is $25.00. Click here to pre-register. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact celeste@thewomenofglobalchange.com.
We are also opening up several other chapters across the United States. I am honored to help launch the Toronto, Ontario Chapter in the summer, 2017. To become a presenting sponsor or sponsor at this premier Toronto event, contact Celeste Giordano here. For additional information about WGC, please visit our website!
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Legacy Blueprint Business Workshop on June 16th 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the 1818 Club. Join us as three business masters, Sara Poe, Nicole Henderson and I, teach the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “Double Plus” your income and become an effective, inspirational leader in your field THIS year. Whether you’re starting a new venture or want to take your business to the next level, learn to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real, lasting success using a proven step-by-step system.
Fee: $30 (Continental breakfast provided)
To Register: celestegiordano.com/legacybusiness
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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