Want to improve your business? Start by improving your life.

Work-life balance may be one of the biggest challenges you face as a solopreneur. With so many balls in the air, it’s easy to fall into the trap of working around the clock and neglecting other areas of your life. You may even convince yourself to give up your lunch break, day off, or even that long overdue vacation, just to stay on top of everything.

However, if you don’t maintain a good work-life balance, it can destroy your physical and mental health, personal relationships, and ultimately your business.

Believe me, I’ve been there! Fortunately, I’ve developed a few habits that have helped me to enjoy my personal life and still stay on top of my business. I’ve described some of them below, and hope you’ll find them helpful.

1. Establish clear start and stop times

When you work for yourself, you’re always on the clock. This is especially true if you do most of your work at home.

It’s important to establish a clear starting and stopping time for your workday. Otherwise, work can spill over into your mornings, evenings and weekends. Set your schedule and resist the urge to work outside of it.

2. Schedule downtime

If your business is cutting into your personal time, put your leisure activities on your schedule along with your work tasks, even if it’s as simple as watching TV or playing with your kids. If you don’t plan these activities, they may not happen at all.

3. When off, be really off

During your non-work time, disconnect from email and other communications as much as possible. If you feel you need to deal with something, ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen if you left it until morning or first thing Monday. Treat the time you’ve blocked for yourself with the same respect you give appointments with clients.

4. Set aside a day or two

It may feel like you need to work seven days a week, but try to take at least one day off. Two days is even better!

5. Be accountable

Tell your family, friends or colleagues about your times and days off. Promise family members you’ll spend time with them. It’s easier to stick to your schedule when you’re accountable to someone else.

6. Outsource and automate

One of the best ways to maintain balance is to get rid of some of the things you have to do. Take advantage of outsourcing and/or automation to get time-consuming tasks off of your to-do list.

7. Start an idea file

Inspiration is sure to strike during your time off, when your mind is free. Don’t give in to the urge to start working on your new ideas right away!

Instead, create an idea file or other system for recording your ideas. When you get a new idea or remember something you need to do, write it down or email it to yourself. That way you can put it out of your mind until you’re back at work.

8. Organize your work flow

If you’re disorganized and scattered, you’ll feel like you always have endless things to do. If you get better organized, you’ll increase your productivity and gain better control over your work day.

Create a daily work flow where the highest priority items come first. If at the end of the day you’re left with low-priority items only, it’s much easier to call it a day and leave the remaining tasks for another day.

9. Get in touch with your rhythms

Everyone has their own natural rhythms when it comes to work and productivity. Try to discover yours and plan your schedule accordingly. For example, if you find that you have high energy during the mornings and evenings but you’re dragging through the afternoons, work a split shift where you have the afternoon off to enjoy leisure activities.

10. Know what you can and can’t control

In business and in life, there’s only so much you can control. Unexpected things happen. But one of the benefits of being your own boss is that you can usually be flexible.

If life interrupts your workday, take the day off and deal with it. If there’s a real work-related emergency on a day off, let yourself take care of it.

Do you feel you have good work-life balance?

If you have strategies I haven’t mentioned, please share them in the comments.

Photo by Kathy Stinson