Sometimes it seems as though there aren’t enough hours in the day. How do I run a business and maintain a balanced life with my family? My business is more demanding than a new born baby. My children want to play and my spouse wants to plan a vacation for which I see no way at this time. If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone. In fact most small business owners share this dilemma, especially in the start up phase.

Unfortunately time isn’t allotted fairly. Regardless to how much more you have to do, you won’t get any more time than a bum on the street who seems totally unaware that time exist. The key is learning to prioritize and manage the time you have. The following are five tools to help you better navigate your life.

1.Know your options: Who around you is able to help? Do you have family close? Do you have a trusty baby sitter or nanny? Can you afford a baby sitter or nanny? If not, maybe you should add it to the budget. These are people who can often be a huge help with children. Can you outsource some to the work to other trustworthy businesses? My wife and I have had to do this a number of times and still do on occasion. It saves us time and allows us to remain effective.

2.Know what’s needed: What are the demands for your business, family and yourself. In order to set adequate priorities, it’s imperative that you first know what those priorities are or should be. For instance: You have a networking opportunity on Tuesday at 5:00, your daughter’s dance class is every Tuesday at 5:30 and your spouse typically goes to the gym around the same time. If your business needs new customers, it may trump the gym or the dance recital for today. There’s no right or wrong here, it’s just a matter of understanding the immediate need.

3.Find Harmony: It’s not all about you; neither is it all about them. Harmony means you’re seeking the best solutions as to minimize or alleviate chaos in your everyday work and family life. This means you must always seek a synergistic approach so that everyone wins or at least feel like they did.

4.Communication: I’m convinced that there is no greater producer of chaos than lack of communication. Everyone gets busy and forgets to pay attention to one thing or another because they are paying attention to something else. Speak up! If you feel that you, your relationship or the children are being ignored, don’t just walk around with a chip on your shoulder. There’s enough craziness going on without adding to it. You don’t need to be rude about it. Let the other person in the relationship know that you understand that there is a lot of work to do with the business, but that there are other areas that need attention. If you approach the matter gently letting your spouse know you understand first, you’ll be far more likely to find a synergistic approach to what you’re seeking to accomplish.

5.Time Management: As I stated earlier, no matter how much you have to do, you aren’t going to get more than 24 hours in your day. The key is making priorities and discussing those priorities in a productive manner with your family and or business partners if you have them. Once a workable schedule is set, do your best to stick to it. However, everyone involved have to understand that things don’t always go as planned. You must remain flexible.

While these are not the easiest tasks to accomplish, I believe that if you put a good effort towards them, they’ll reward you with a happier and healthier family and work life.

Eric L. Lipsey
www.TheLink.biz