Being a workaholic can indeed be a detriment to your company, thus the importance of knowing how to balance work and life. It is important to first of all admit to being a workaholic, and then discovering how to have a life beyond work. In this interview between Dale Beaumont and sisters/business partners, Kristina Noble and Simone Babic, find out more on how to balance running a business and enjoying life.
Kristina and Simone are two sisters from Melbourne who started Citrus, a web design and online marketing agency, which services the needs of some of Australia’s biggest companies.
How do you balance running a business and having a life?
This is probably the single most important thing we have learnt over the years. Being self-confessed workaholics with unlimited passion, enthusiasm, loads of energy and very high standards was our personal cocktail of disaster. We wouldn’t undertake anything unless we knew we could throw ourselves into it 100 per cent and give it our best shot. Plus, we had a touch of the ‘I work the hardest out of everyone I know’ syndrome. All of this meant that we would sacrifice our personal needs for the sake of getting the job done. This isn’t sustainable if you want to live a balanced life, and these are some of our tips for journeying out of this attitude.
- Reap the Rewards Along the Way – One of the most important things in business is to put yourself first and reap the rewards as you go. This makes it all worthwhile and motivates you through the tough times. For example, if you choose to be in business because it represents a certain level of freedom for you then it’s important to exercise that freedom. You might take a long lunch, book in a massage or take a long weekend. Or, if you choose to be in business to make money then reward yourself with a payrise, bonus or dividend as soon as the business can afford it. Whatever your reasons for being in business, whether material or otherwise, make sure you get the rewards along the way. I see so many people in business who don’t take annual leave for years, or pay themselves next to nothing and run themselves into the ground. Yes, there are periods when we must do these things, but if it’s ongoing then you risk burning yourself out. The other issue is that often these behaviours and attitudes create the culture of your organisation, which opens up a big can of worms in the long term.
- Draw the Line Between Work and Play – Another important factor is living a balanced life. It’s really important to have a life outside of your work and to [[understand that you are not your business, the business is an entity unto itself.]] Making sure that you spend time with family, friends or doing whatever you like doing is very important. I remember making a conscious decision to not work on Saturdays (after having worked every Saturday for years). It was a tough decision to make because I was losing the benefit of a full day in the office without interruptions. And for some reason I also felt guilty about it, but I made the break and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I now spend time with family and friends on Saturdays which is personally far more rewarding.
- Mind, Body, Spirit – Another part of work/life balance is nourishing your mind, body and spirit. Whether it’s in the form of training, yoga, meditation, taking vitamins, camping, reading, going to a dance party, doing self-development courses, playing with your kids, undertaking physical challenges ‘Richard Branson-style’ – whatever your thing is, make sure you make the time to do it. It nourishes your soul, unclutters your mind and makes you more productive when you are working. It’s a case of understanding that there is always going to be something left on your ‘to do’ list and that you’ll never get everything done. You need to accept it, and trust.
Know that rewarding yourself and having a good work/life balance means that both you and the business will be in better shape as a result.
For more of this interview find it here: “Secrets of Female Entrepreneurs Exposed!” by Dale Beaumont.
