The long, warm and sunny days are dissipating into the past. As we’ve entered the final quarter of the year, the pressure to hit your business goals for the year is full on. You’ve rolled up your sleeves, put your foot on the accelerator serving clients and working your way through various projects.
Your social media newsfeeds and the internet, in general, are full of business planning articles on how to hit your goals. With the days getting shorter and colder, the temptation to go out is dwindling down. Just perfect for getting on with your huge pile of work.
Let me stop you right there! How many of those articles actually talk about avoiding burnout? How many of those articles encourage you to consider what success truly means to you? Is it just about the financial health of your company? How about your own health? How about the state of your personal relationships? Your family? What’s actually important to you in life?
I strongly encourage you to take time to consider what success truly means to you. Is it…
- Doing fulfilling work you love while experiencing the joys of what life has to offer?
- Preserving and deepening the relationships with your loved ones?
- Creating unforgettable moments – climbing mountain tops, gazing at mesmerising sunsets, sampling delicious food… whatever that may be for you…?
- Being in great shape and full of energy?
- Feeling calm and peaceful?
Here are some key steps to successfully blending work and life:
Incorporate big personal life developments
As you create your work goals and plans, take into account your personal life. Are there any big events and developments in your life that may require more of your energy and attention (than usual)?
Take those into considerations and add some buffer, because things almost always take longer than expected and we need to put more effort into them than we anticipated. I can tell you all about it from my recent house redecoration!
Then, look at how that fits with your business aspirations. Check in with yourself:
- Do I need to shift some of the timescales?
- How feasible are the outcomes I’m aiming for, given what else I have going on?
- Where would I need some extra help to achieve what I want?
Protect and enjoy those special occasions
Create time for those significant occasions that you’d love to be part of and you’d hate to forget or miss out on.
If you’re not in the habit of diarising birthdays, anniversaries, or other celebratory occasions, pop those on your diary, too. Block out a specific time period that you’d like to dedicate to the occasion, rather than having it down as an all-day event, which can often get missed out, especially with digital calendars.
Occasionally, birthdays or anniversaries clash with something else that can’t be moved or rescheduled. To avoid forgetting or missing out on the celebrations, pencil in, even if only tentatively, an alternative date when you will mark the occasion.
If you have children, what important events do you want to attend? And what workarounds would you need to ensure you don’t miss out on them at the last moment?
Bonus tip: I highly recommend marking any personal/social events with a different colour in your diary so that they stand out rather than merge with the rest of your work commitments.
Look after yourself first
So you’re juggling work and whatever else life throws at you, you’re looking after your loved ones… but aren’t you forgetting something or rather someone? i.e. YOU!
Looking after your health is your biggest wealth.
Many of my clients come to me because far too often they’ve neglected themselves in the process of running their business and are exhausted and burning out. They want to have more energy and feel better so that they can be on top form for everything they want to do.
Naturally, exercising regularly and eating healthy, wholesome food plays a big role in your wellbeing and energy levels.
If you want to learn about how to fit in exercise I recommend you check out – Break the vicious cycle of wanting to exercise but not getting round to it
But not everything always runs to a perfect schedule. Plus, following a rigid schedule isn’t for everyone. I know it’s not for me. I love flexibility, variety and spontaneity.
So, I believe it’s about making more conscious decisions, snatching those off the cuff opportunities and creating moments of oasis whenever and however we can.
Here are some examples of how you can do that:
- Put that phone or laptop down and just be. Take three deep breaths in and out.
- Smell the roses – figuratively, or, even better, literally smell some beautiful flowers.
- Take a break and go for a short walk. Sit on a bench and stare into the distance (not your phone).
- Listen to some calming music – if you’re short of ideas check out my favourite relaxing music channel on YouTube – relaxdaily (Tip: focus on the listening rather than watching)
- Book a mini break away.
- Treat yourself to some pampering, be that at home or in a spa.
Ready to create a new plan for success?
Even though there is a lot of advice on how to run your successful business and it’s widely accepted that it’s measured in financial terms, it’s really all done to YOU to determine what success means to YOU.
So, take time to think about how you want your life to be and what success is for you.
If you want personalised help to define and create that success, check out Jump-Start Your Way to a Successful Balanced Life
See you on the other side!
Photo Credit: rawpixel – Pixabay
