I work with a lot of entrepreneurs, and like myself, it’s often hard to define the boundaries of work obligations and when you’ve done enough!
Whether you are self-employed or working from home after COVID-19, the reality is that many of us are finding that work and home life get somewhat blurred. The plague of the entrepreneur is that you are responsible for everything you create, the financial means you bring in, and in keeping the pipeline full so business continues to flow.
The challenge is knowing when to turn off the noise in between your ears. It’s finding a workflow that is structured enough to keep you moving forward, and also has some ending boundaries to close up shop, and wind down. It’s also in knowing how much is enough, and when you can allow yourself to play and embrace down time.
Permission to Turn Off Their Computer
In talking with some of my clients, it became apparent that they needed permission to turn off their computer, and even create some space to journal about their day and plan tomorrow’s goals prior to switching gears and moving into “home mode.”
I used to complain about my 1 hour commute for 20 years, but in reality, that was my decompression time to listen to music, reflect on my day, talk with a friend, etc., before walking into the house to meet the demands of my kids, expectations for dinner, and all the extra curricular activities and homework challenges.
Knowing What You Need and Asking For It
Maybe you just need to sit in your car for 5-10 minutes before entering the house. Maybe you need to lock yourself in your closet to just take a mental health moment and decompress. Whatever it is, it’s important that you identify what it is you need and make it part of your priority to ask for what you need. Depriving ourselves of our self care is the number one thing we neglect when we feel other’s needs take precedence.
It starts with you defining what is enough for you. For some of us, that means we need to be satisfied with a certain level of income in exchange for the time, freedom and space to lean into other areas of interest.