As an aspiring or new entrepreneur, you probably know exactly what it’s like to experience – or come very close to experiencing – burnout.
You’re working on creating and growing your new business, and at the same time, you’re trying to spend time with your family, perhaps still working your 9 – 5, and also desperately searching for those precious last seconds to spend on taking care of yourself.
The right balance
No one said it was easy.
It takes a whole lot of focus, determination, drive and motivation to continue sacrificing in different areas of your life day after day, especially when sometimes we see little immediate results in return.
This reminds of a quote from one of Warren G. Tracy’s students:
Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.
So how do you find the right balance?
How do you continue making sacrifices day in and day out to help move your business forward AND prevent burnout at the same time?
I know what I do to prevent burnout, but I don’t have kids running around the house, or a 9 – 5 competing for my time, and so what I do in order to stay balanced with work and life might vary from what someone else does.
The question
That’s why when Andres, a founding member of our Fire Nation Elite Mastermind Tribe, posed this question to the group, I watched the answers closely:
“What are some strategies Fire Nation Eliter’s use to prevent burnout? I’d especially love to hear from people who – like me – are working on developing businesses while also working a 9 – 6 (or more).
I want to know how my fellow entrepreneurs manage the time between family and job and still grow your entrepreneurial business on the side.”
The responses
The advice started pouring in.
It was like a slot machine in a Vegas casino: ching, ching, ching!!… This is gold!
Who better to turn to for advice on how to manage your time most effectively all while preventing burnout than those who have experienced the same struggle at one point on their journey?
And then, not even a week later, I saw a similar question from another Tribe member, Eric:
“FNE family, I want to know how my fellow entrepreneurs manage the time between family and job and still grow your entrepreneurial business on the side. Want to try and balance that time better and wanted to know what everyone else is doing to do that. Thank you for your comments and thoughts.”
We talk about listening to your audience A LOT here at EntrepreneurOnFire. Seeing these two questions back-to-back told me that this is clearly a topic people are struggling with.
Preventing burnout
So again, I monitored these posts, and with the permission of my fellow FNE Tribe members, here is what they had to say in response to Andres and Eric:
“Designate time blocks to work on your business, and then delegated specific tasks to those time blocks.
For example, I used to set aside Mon and Thur nights, and Sat mornings for my clients; then, I worked on marketing on Sun; Fri nights were for NOTHING, and I knew Sat afternoon/evenings would include kid stuff. That left Tues and Wed evenings, which were the nights for my coaching school classes!
It was nuts, but I had my goals in mind.
Just remember that the world is not going to come to an end if you don’t get it all done as fast as you’d like, and you aren’t saving babies, you’re starting a business.”
– Amber Hurdle, AmberHurdle.com
Married, 2 kids, Full-time Entrepreneur, Volunteer
“Mandatory time out!
I go on long walks and listen to historical nonfiction novels for a total reset, and a lot of books I read on my Kindle have nothing to do with business.
Oh, and I keep 2 or 3 Fire Nation success stories by my computer from people who were inspired by EntrepreneurOnFire and have told me that it has changed their life. It brings me back to why I love doing this!“
– John Lee Dumas, EntrepreneurOnFire.com
Full-time Entrepreneur, Founder & Host of a top-ranked Business Podcast
“As a single dad with older kids that are on the run most times, I have the luxury of having a good amount of time to myself. I use one evening each week to do something family-oriented, no matter how busy I am. That gives me at least 52 times a year – at a minimum – to create new memories, plus vacation and holidays spent together.
Also, I typically start my days off with an early morning workout – it really clears my mind and body.
At least two days during the week is time for me to either get a massage, spend time with my girlfriend, go for a long walk along the Riverwalk, or read a book. I feel a healthy balanced lifestyle with this approach.
– Dean Patino, Play Baseball Classics & The Fire Starters Co.
Father, Working 9-5, Full-time Entrepreneur “on the side”
“20 minutes of meditation (thanks to an app called Simply Being), followed up by the hot tub and listening to EOFire.
Then, I go to my gym and listen to (or read) books for about 1.5 hours.
All of that is working on myself time, which consumes about 4 hours every day.
Then, I get to go and work on my business. You’ll never burn out if you work on body, mind, heart and soul.“
– Ric Payne
Father of 3, Granfather of 3, Full-time Entrepreneur
“Pick up a new hobby or two.
I have found that it’s important to make time for yourself; to have fun and relax. I try to do something active that I’ve always wanted to do but never have.
I just picked up archery about three weeks ago and have found it’s a good outlet. I like switching it up from time to time.”
– Aaron Pierson
Husband, Father, Full-time Entrepreneur
“Take care of the body!
Fitness and diet pay huge dividends! I’m trying to get into meditation as well. Turn off your phone and get some fresh air. Get a full night’s rest! Call a family member or friend.
– Austin Netzley, AustinNetzley.com
Amazon #1 Best-selling Author: Make Money, Live Wealthy
“With 3 kids all under 5, a loving wife, and a 40-hour per week regular job, it’s tough not to get burned out while launching a business.
Combine that with trying to make my launch date and it makes it even more challenging.
But, here’s what has helped me: I dedicate a couple hours to the biz after the kids go to bed each night. About 2 nights a week, instead of working on the biz at night, the wife and I will watch our favorite show.
I also switch up the podcasts I listen to by sprinkling in some comedy podcasts so it’s not ALL business ALL the time.
– Collin Price
Husband, Father of 3, Working 9-5, Starting his own business
“First off, workout. If I go 3 days without a decent workout, then I start the downward spiral.
Then, I think of others who work hard and they inspire me: Navy Seals/ Military/ colleagues like yourselves.
– Jason Benevides
Full-time Entrepreneur
“I think keeping balance is always a constant struggle for entrepreneurs – at least it is for me. That’s why time blocking is huge. Going off of that I would recommend the following…
1) Determine exactly what times you have available for your business – make sure you and your family are on the same page and they understand you will be working on the business at this time.
Then, also determine what time is for family, and really focus on them during that time. Although I still struggle, I’ve found my family would rather spend high-quality, focused time with me versus a lot of time where I am only 1/2 there.
2) Make sure you know EXACTLY what your goals/plan are in your business. Then, eliminate EVERYTHING else while you are working on your business.
It can be very hard to do, but when people really know what they want to do and are really focused, they can accomplish more in an hour than an entire day. If something isn’t a part of your “plan”, then eliminate it – even if it is “good”.
I always use the term “Good Better Best”. Something might be good, but it may not be the very best use of your time!
– Justin Williams, HouseFlippingHQ
Married, 3 kids, Full-time Entrepreneur
Developing and building your own business while finding time to spend with your family, working your 9 – 5, and carving out time for yourself is not easy. The proof is right here in this post.
Every Entrepreneur struggles to manage their time between ever-changing priorities.
Even if you don’t work a 9 – 5, or even if you don’t have a family, preventing burnout and finding time for yourself is a challenge we all face. But we all face this challenge day in and day out because deep down, we know we can make it happen.
A template
We’ve covered a lot here, and because I feel very strongly about helping you find the right balance with work, family and personal life in order to excel in all areas of your life, I’ve created a template for you to download that will help you prevent burnout!
click here to download your template
