There's an amazing freedom to being your own boss. You can work flexible hours, focus on anything you want, create any products you like, and operate in any industry that tickles your fancy. But, then there's also the challenge of juggling everything on your own 🥴.

In this article, we want to help give you well-worn work-life balance tips from our 15+ years of working for ourselves. We'll talk about some of the more obvious stuff like setting boundaries, prioritizing tasks, and managing your time well, but then we'll also focus on life metrics and anti-hustle goals.

Let's dive in...

Tip #1: Set Clear Boundaries

Finding the perfect balance between professional life and personal time can feel like walking a tightrope, but it's crucial for maintaining both mental and physical health.

Here are some proven strategies to achieve a balance that promotes quality time with family and personal activities, without compromising productivity.

Establish a Designated Workspace

Physical separation between work and personal life is more important than ever. Establish a designated workspace in your home, dedicated strictly to professional tasks.

This can act as a psychological signal that tells your brain when it’s time to focus on work and when it's time to switch off. Not only does it prevent work from spilling over into your personal space, but it can also improve your work effectiveness during your allocated work hours.

💡 Pro-tip! Your workspace doesn't have to suck! Spend a weekend zhuzhing-up where you work and make it an environment you look forward to spending time in.

Create a Schedule and Stick to It

Time management is the backbone of achieving a healthy work-life balance. Create a schedule that includes dedicated working hours, along with personal time, flex time, and vacation time.

Just as you would prioritize a meeting at work, schedule regular intervals for meals, exercise, and time with family. Sticking to your schedule ensures that you have time to unwind and engage in personal activities that rejuvenate your wellbeing.

Learn to Say No

One of the most challenging yet vital skills in maintaining a healthy balance is learning to say no. Overcommitment can lead to a poor work-life balance, ignoring your family life, and future feelings of guilt and regret.

Don’t be afraid to turn down additional tasks that interfere with your established balance, especially when they impact your ability to spend quality time outside of work.

And, don't be afraid to say no to all the digital notifications that can easily distract you. Lean on phone/laptop features like "do not disturb" to stay focused during the work hours when you need it the most.

Tip #2: Prioritize and Delegate Tasks

Ensuring a healthy work-life balance is not solely about managing time—it's also about managing tasks. As a solopreneur, you CAN do it all, but should you? We believe delegation is a superpower that many folks ignore.

Here's how you can start delegating:

Identify the Most Crucial Tasks

The first step to effective task management is identifying the most crucial tasks that contribute significantly to your professional life. Ask yourself which tasks require your unique skills and critical thinking, and which ones contribute most to your goals. These tasks will not ❌ be delegated.

Identify the Least Crucial Tasks

Once you've identified your key responsibilities, examine which lower-priority tasks can be delegated to a virtual assistant or freelancer on Upwork or Fiverr. Many of the lower priority tasks that you loathe doing are actually enjoyable for someone else! Creating spreadsheets, data entry, managing email inboxes, editing videos, posting on social media, etc, are all things that can easily be outsourced.

Delegation not only frees up your time to focus on high-impact work but also contributes to a collaborative workplace culture and enhances overall engagement.

💡 Pro-tip! On sites like Upwork, you can create a "Job" posting that explains the task(s) you want help with. You then set the budget you're willing to spend and then wait for freelancers to apply. Outsourcing doesn't have to burst your budget, you can dictate the price you're willing to pay!

Experiment with Delegation

Once you start sharing the responsibilities of your lower priority tasks, experiment with delegating some of your higher priority tasks (especially very repetitive ones). You might be surprised that what you thought only you could do, could be done by other people and free up your time to spend not working!

Tip #3: Create a Healthy Work Environment

Creating a healthy work environment is integral to maintaining a sustainable work-life balance. It goes beyond the hours you spend at work; it's also about the quality of your workday experience.

Arrange Your Workspace Ergonomically

An ergonomic setup can minimize the risk factors associated with sitting for long periods, such as back pain, wrist strain, and eyestrain. Ensure that your chair provides proper lumbar support, your desk allows your arms to bend at a 90-degree angle, and your computer monitor is at eye level.

For those of you reading this as you work from your couch, we're especially talking to you 😉. (Note: Sometimes we DO work from our couch, but aim for at least 80% of your work time to be not from the couch.)

Incorporate Natural Light and Plants

Research shows that natural light can enhance your mood, reduce fatigue, and improve health. If possible, position your workspace to maximize exposure to natural light. Incorporating plants into your office not only cleans the air but also brings a positive psychological effect, reducing stress and enhancing creativity.

Take Regular Breaks

To maintain a healthy work-life balance, incorporate regular breaks into your schedule. Stand up or take short walks regularly throughout the day to keep your blood circulating and give your mind a brief refresh.

Tip #4: Practice Effective Time Management

Savvy time management is a cornerstone of a healthy work-life balance. It’s not just about fitting more into your day; it's about working smarter, not harder.

Utilize Productivity Techniques

The Pomodoro Technique involves working for a set amount of time—typically 25 minutes—followed by a short break. This regimented structure helps maintain a high level of productivity while ensuring you get the necessary rest.

Use Project Management Tools You Like

Project management tools you actually enjoy using can drastically help you manage your time more effeciently. If you find yourself swearing at a tool due to how frustrating and cumbersome it is to use, you're wasting a ton of time and energy.

Tools like Notion, Trello, Asana, ClickUp, etc, are all great and well-reviewed. For us, Notion has become an absolute game-changer and we are so much better and managing our time because all of our projects are organized in a tool we enjoy using.

📌 Read our Notion article where we share the "S.O.A.R." 🦅 system we created to run our multiple 6-figure businesses.

Set Realistic Deadlines and Avoid Overcommitting

One of the quickest ways to disrupt work-life balance is by setting unattainable deadlines or taking on more than you can handle. Do yourself a favor and start doubling the time you think it takes to accomplish a task or project.

Yes, time constraints are great, but if you constantly are not hitting your own deadlines, it's probably due to estimating your time poorly (we know from tons of personal experience 🙈).

Tip #5: Take Care of Your Physical and Mental Health

Balancing work and personal life isn't solely about the hours you clock in and out—it's also about nurturing your health, both physical and mental.

Prioritize Regular Exercise and Maintain a Healthy Diet

Regular physical activity contributes to better mental health by releasing endorphins, improving your mood, and reducing symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.

One quick way to feel completely out of balance is eating a poor diet, full of processed or fast food because you feel short on time. By eating crappy food, you then get sluggish, tired, and can't focus. As a smart solopreneur, you should be fueling your body with lots of veggies, fruits, healthy fats, protein, and whole grain carbohydrates.

If you feel like you've fallen off the bandwagon of exercise and healthy eating, give it a try for a week and trust us, you'll immediately notice the positive effects.

Practice Mindfulness and Stress-Reducing Techniques

Mindfulness and relaxation exercises are vital in managing work-related stress. Techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga can enhance your self-awareness and reduce stress.

Allocate Time for Hobbies and Self-Care Activities

Dedicating time to hobbies and self-care acts as a buffer against burnout and replenishes your motivation and creativity.

Are you a fan of LEGO? Carve out time after lunch each day for 30 minutes of block-building fun. Love diving into a good book? Maybe you should start your workday with 20 pages of reading? Want to spend all weekend long working in your wood shop? Go for it! Hobbies are a great way to balance out all the hours spent in front of our screens.

Tip #6: Unpopular Advice: Prioritize Life First

When striving for a healthy work-life balance, it's essential to prioritize your personal life OVER your professional life. As a solopreneur, it's easy to fill your calendar with time blocks dedicated to work, but we believe you should block off time for LIFE first.

Schedule Personal Time on Your Calendar First

When it comes to work-life integration, the best way to feel like you have a flexible schedule is to put life tasks on your calendar first.

Doctor's appointments, kid's school drop off, exercise, grocery store trips, adventures with your spouse, LEGO time, etc. Whatever the things are you would consider personal time, plot them on your calendar BEFORE any work tasks.

Set Work Hour Boundaries

It's incredibly easy to let work creep into all hours of the day. It's easier when you actually enjoy the work you do too! We find that by setting a hard boundary with the time we end work every day (6pm), we avoid ever having late night sessions.

Customize Your Work Hours

Conventional nine-to-five work hours aren't mandatory. Let us repeat that: Working 9-5 is NOT mandatory when you're a solopreneur!

Want to start your workday at 11am? Go for it! Want to end your workday at 3pm? You do you! Only want to work 3 days per week? More power to you! Flexible work hours are a perk of owning your own business, get flexible.

When you work for yourself you get to break all the conventional rules.

Tip #7: Seek Support and Connection

If there's one thing that's a universal truth about working for yourself it's that it gets lonely from time to time.

Join a Solopreneur Community

One of the best investments you can make as a solopreneur is to join a community of like-minded peers that are on a similar path.

Sure, it might feel like your spending extra time you don't have in these communities, but you might see increased motivation and work output by surrounding yourself with ambitious people in your industry.

Engage with Mentors, Coaches, or Accountability Partners

Mentors and coaches can provide advice to help you navigate your solopreneur journey while maintaining a personal life. An accountability partner can keep you on track with your goals, ensuring you allocate the necessary time to both work and personal activities.

Consider Joining a Group Program or Mastermind

You might feel like you need to do everything on your own, but believe us when we say that having a group you can bounce ideas off and share feelings with is almost priceless! Ask a few friends if you aren't sure which group program to join.

Mastermind groups consist of peers who meet regularly to support each other, challenge each other, and share resources. These groups can greatly assist in developing strategies for a healthier work-life balance.

👋 Oh hey, shameless plug, we have an un-boring coaching program that offers a private Slack community that includes weekly accountability and monthly group calls.

Conclusion

Achieving a healthy work-life balance as a solopreneur may seem daunting, but with the right strategies, it's entirely possible.

By setting clear boundaries, prioritizing tasks, creating a healthy work environment, practicing effective time management, and taking care of your physical and mental health, you can create a harmonious blend of professional and personal life.

Prioritizing your personal life and seeking support from communities or mentors will further enhance your journey.

Remember, balance is not a destination but an ongoing process that requires constant adjustment and self-awareness. Embrace these tips to cultivate a sustainable work-life balance that fosters both professional success and personal fulfillment.