For lots of people, running their own business is the ultimate achievement and many go into this with visions of effortlessly juggling entrepreneurship and quality time with their children. Unfortunately, for a large number of entrepreneurial parents, the reality is a little bit different (or in some cases, a lot different!)
Working long hours while dealing with the demands of parenthood can quickly take its toll and, in some cases, will lead to burnout. In this article, we’re going to be sharing some tips and tools to help you get the balance right and run your business - and your home life - like a boss.
What Is Burnout ?
This term is used to describe a state of complete physical and mental exhaustion. While this is not considered to be a medical condition, it is usually caused by stress and can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression over time.
According to research,
78% of parents who run a business or work for themselves experience burnout to some extent - and yet others thrive under the pressure; so what do these people have that those 78% don’t? The answer isn’t that they just have natural equilibrium (or that they can get their hands on some really great pharmaceuticals) - it’s all down to strategies.
The hat trick
While burnout can occur through stress, overwork and burning the candle at both ends, for parents the roots are a little deeper.
Being an entrepreneurial parent means constantly donning three hats -
Which hat you wear and when is all important but, just to muddy the waters, you may sometimes need to wear two at a time. When you add in the fact that each of these roles requires constant decision-making - around 35,000 choices per day - things can quickly spiral out of control.
Building Your Burnout Prevention Framework
Running a business while raising a child means that life can be unpredictable - and rigid structures and systems simply won’t work here. This means that you need a burnout prevention framework made up of smart tools that are specifically designed to meet your challenges - and this is where AI can lend a hand:
The right time and the right place
When it comes to keeping the wheels turning at work and at home, the secret is in the planning. AI powered scheduling tools can be a game changer here as they allow you to plan and schedule business appointments, school events and social dates while alerting you to any conflicts to avoid double booking.
When life seems determined to leave you frazzled, automation is the way forward and, these days, there are some great tools to help you with everything from generating invoices to posting on social media - freeing up your time and head space for those important family activities.
Bringing success home
These days, there are countless opportunities available to the budding entrepreneur and while some choose a business based on their passion or qualifications, others are simply looking for a business that they can run from home and fit around their childcare responsibilities. Those who fit in this latter category have found success with
https://tutoring.k12.com/ - an online tutoring opportunity perfect for parents. WIth no commuting and no need for paying eye-watering childcare fees, this offers a win-win work from home opportunity with a scalable income stream. More importantly, this allows for that all-important quality time with the kids.
All In Good Time: Strategies That Really Work
As we’ve mentioned, juggling a business with a family is all about making decisions, prioritising and creating coping strategies and, in this section, we’re looking at some practical strategies that you can put in place right now.
The energy-time matrix
Nope, nothing to do with the Keanu Reeves film - this is all about managing your time according to your energy levels rather than the clock. Over the space of a week make a note of your energy level ebbs and flows and then block your time accordingly; for example, schedule high octane tasks during peak energy windows and save the lower ebb times for more menial tasks.
No ifs, no buts when it comes to family time
As an entrepreneur, the temptation to overwork is a constant but this can be to the detriment of family life. Make sure that you have two or three family anchor points during the day such as having breakfast or dinner together or a story before bed. No matter what happens, these daily routines should be set in stone to ensure that your family stays connected (although this may get a little trickier as your children get older, as anyone with teenagers will tell you!)
Time out matters
Often you may not have time to take a proper lunch break however recovery time should be as non-negotiable as family time is. Build tiny recovery moments into your day – a
two-minute breathing exercise between calls, or stretching while coffee brews. Putting the kettle on, sending a message to a friend or reading an online article are all great ways of hitting pause on your work and allowing for a mini mind reset.
These micro-breaks prevent the gradual energy drain that leads to afternoon crashes and evening irritability.A micro break such as
The 3 bucket system
Managing a business and a family is all about priorities and this clever system helps you to prioritise more effectively. Break up your tasks into the following three buckets, or chunks:
- Family first - non-negotiable family activities
- Business critical - revenue impacting activities
- Everything else - activities that are not on a deadline
Using this system immediately empowers you to make faster decisions when needed while also recognising that not everything needs to be dealt with right now.
Establish digital boundaries
We’re all guilty of checking our work emails during family time now and again but this is a bad habit that needs to be given the red card. When clocking off for the day, use an auto-responder to acknowledge messages and let the recipient know when they can expect a reply. It doesn’t stop there though - many of us check our emails obsessively - and unnecessarily during the day and so cutting this down to three or four times a day will make you more productive; just try it!
Creating The Right Regime
Whatever industry you work in, you can give yourself a distinct advantage by employing some burnout prevention techniques and these can include:
Rest it out
It’s a simple fact that our nervous systems are not designed for constant high-octane productive output and so downtime is essential. It’s therefore really important to factor in recovery time; whether that’s shorter work-days during quiet periods or taking at least one day off at the weekend. Pushing ourselves to work longer and harder even when we’re exhausted is almost always counterproductive as we need rest in order to maintain energy and focus long-term.
Your early warning system
A simple way of nipping burnout in the bud is to familiarise yourself with the symptoms and signs. In many cases, fatigue, lack of sleep and headaches can all indicate that burnout is on its way. It's a good idea to keep a diary to record your daily emotional temperature as irritability, a loss of interest or a feeling of disconnect can all be early warning signs that you shouldn’t ignore.
Beating burnout is all in the planning
With the best will in the world, burnout can still sneak up on you and so it’s important to have a plan in place to help you get back on track. This can include simple changes such as:
- Scaling back on work for a short time
- Delegating tasks
- Lining up extra childcare support
Having a plan in place will save you extra stress should burnout occur and allow you the time you need to bounce back.
The Business Of Burnout Prevention
While the importance of good time management is universal, the strategies needed are not.
Different industries experience different challenges so, here, we’ll take a look at some of these - and the strategies needed to manage them:
- Service based entrepreneurs - Clients can be demanding creatures and so it’s important to create boundaries early on. Be clear about when you will and will not be available, including emergency protocols. You might also consider a fee supplement for rush requests as this will usually make the client reconsider the term “emergency”.
- Digital entrepreneurs - While working from home can be super convenient for digital business owners, it’s really important to draw a clear line between your work time and your personal time.
- Education entrepreneurs - This is the sweet spot for many entrepreneurs as working hours tend to naturally align with childcare responsibilities, however it is still important to factor in downtime.
Long term success is a family affair
When setting out on your entrepreneurial journey you’ll no doubt be looking to rack up those quick wins but what about long term? It’s perfectly possible for your business to have longevity and the key here is to align its growth with that of your family. Toddlers will turn into teenagers, changing the dynamic of your home and the demands on your time will also evolve. Try getting the kids involved with your business from an early age as this not only provides a bonding opportunity but also hands them some valuable life skills and an understanding of the world of business which will serve them well.
Sustainable Success With Limited Sacrifice
The path of a parent entrepreneur won’t always be a smooth one but it is more than possible to achieve a great work life balance by implementing a strategy based on the following holy trinity:
- Establish a clear energy / time matrix
- Implement non-negotiable family time
- Use one automation tool
Base your work and your parenting around these three important touch points and you won’t go far wrong.
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FAQs
How do I avoid entrepreneurial burnout?
This is all about balance and many people find that activities such as exercise, meditation, a good diet and general self-care can help.
How do successful entrepreneurs manage their time?
Successful entrepreneurs know that it's all about working smarter not harder and therefore take advantage of every tool at their disposal, including automation.
How can I manage my time as a working parent?
Establish a consistent routine with set mealtimes, playtimes and family times as this lets kids know when they will get to spend time with you.
