“It’s finding time for each other. That’s the trick to any relationship, you know. Finding time to really be present for each other.” – Liev Schreiber
If you’re an entrepreneur, you likely have a hard time finding the line between business and personal. When you’re at home, you are thinking about your business, and when you’re at work you’re feeling guilty for not spending enough time with your kids, family, and friends.
If you’ve read The Muse’s “10 Ways Successful People Spend Their Time After Work“ you will notice that successful people often say “no”, build authentic relationships, unplug and take real vacations.
These are all really tough to do in the times we live in right now. Technology makes it way too easy to connect – and even more so – way too hard to DISCONNECT. People are always on their phones, and expect you to answer right away. If you’re growing or starting a business – the people who rely on you to answer the big questions NEED your answer NOW. If you have a family, spouse, children, or even extended family and friends – you want to make sure you don’t miss an important call from them.
So what is a person to do?
Say NO to doing it all yourself
Obviously – shutting off your phone to the family is not realistic especially if you have children. However, when it comes to your day to day life – hiring someone to do the mundane tasks (grocery shopping, hiring a trade, taking the dry-cleaning in, etc.) so you can spend time with the people you love is the best option.
Take that vacation, you deserve a break!
Aside from the obvious “spending time on your family, friends and yourself will make you feel better” – it also makes you more productive. “Disengaging from work when you are not at work, makes us more resilient in the face of stress and more productive and engaged at work. Even a short weekend getaway can provide significant work-stress recovery, while longer trips away provide even more relief.” ¹
Prioritize
So, if taking a vacation is going to make you more productive, but you find when you get home that you’re still disengaged from the family and doing all the mundane things that someone else could be doing for you – it comes back to the question of “what is your time worth?” Would you rather be doing the laundry, or spending time with your friends? Weeding your back yard, or taking your kids for ice cream?
Why do mundane things yourself? Take the time for yourself and your relationships while being more productive at work and know that someone reliable is doing all the little things that get in the way of you living your life to it’s fullest!
Sources
¹https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_you_should_take_more_time_off_from_work
