THIS Is Absolutely MAJOR In Maintaining Work-Life Balance

As a freelance, remote worker for almost 4 years, working from home (or anywhere for that matter) is nothing new to me. So when covid-19 hit, not much changed with my work. But for many who are new to the world of freelancing, it can be a bit overwhelming.

And while looking online, I see one of the things people are really struggling with is maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

I actually like to think of it as a life-work balance because I believe life should always come first!

And my secret to maintaining joy while working online full time has been this…

BOUNDARIES

Setting clear boundaries is not only important for keeping your clients from driving you crazy, but it’s equally important in any and all relationships to maintain your sense of self. To keep you from feeling resentful, angry, undervalued, unappreciated…or whatever emotion you may be feeling at the moment.

So I want to share some insight I’ve learned about the role of boundaries in our work relationships!

1. BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT (AND DON’T WANT)

Have you ever taken the time to get clear with yourself on your ideal day? Maybe you’ve made a vision board? Or simply envisioned how you’d truly enjoy spending your time? If you haven’t, it’s an exercise I think you should try! Knowing what you want helps you make decisions when you’re presented with opportunities and tasks that fall outside of that. Of course, there will be tasks you don’t want to do or enjoy. But when you’re clear with yourself, you can incrementally move in the direction of what you want. Creating balance is all about being honest with yourself and taking on clients, projects, or tasks that will bring you joy, not bring about stress and anger. Personally, as I’ve let go of projects and contracts that fall outside of my vision, I’ve opened up room in my day for things that are more in alignment.

Oh! And if you’re more visual try using Pinterest as an evolving vision board. I spend time a few days per week adding to my secret “creative workshop” board on Pinterest. This is where I add things I want to experience, things that excite me, etc related to different areas of my life including business.

2. CREATE POLICIES (AND STICK TO THEM)

When you hear the word policies, you may be thinking insurance policies, company policies, human resource policies. And you know what? You’re kinda right. You need to take care of your peace of mind and physical health, so why not insure yourself in a sense? And you’re the boss of your own life, so why not act like it?

One of the best and easiest ways to set boundaries in your business is to start with setting business hours. Take note: this is not just for your clients to follow; this applies to you, too!

For instance, if you set your hours as 9am-5pm Monday through Friday and you’re busy enough that you only have time for a lunch break, shut down your computer at 5:01 pm and start to decompress. That means no more emails, no working until midnight. It also means enjoying your dinner, enjoying your family or friends. Working on a hobby! Do what you want to do and leave the work for the next business day! In my business, I let all of my clients know I’m only available Monday through Friday and so they know if an email is sent on the weekend, they won’t receive an answer from me until Monday. Another example of something you’d include in your policies is how your colleagues communicate with you. Is it all through email? Phone calls or Zoom meetings at scheduled times or whenever they feel like asking a question? If you don’t stand for yourself, no one else will! I make all of my business policies clear from the beginning when I onboard new clients.

3. LEARN TO SAY NO

“No” is a word children learn very early and continue to use seemingly nonstop. Hahaa! But somehow as we step into adults, the ease in which NO comes out of our mouths can become challenging. All of a sudden we’re people pleasers who lose track of our personal boundaries and can’t say no for fear of disappointing someone or being reprimanded. In a corporate world, it’s harder to say no because your paycheck depends on you performing certain tasks. But when you have your own freelance business, you’ll discover that not every client is a good fit and not every project is one you’ll love. That’s when it’s important to channel your younger self and give yourself permission to say NO to those clients and projects that don’t light you up.

Developing a good instinct for knowing who will be a good client and who won’t takes some time and experience. Believe me, I know! I’ve also learned that saying yes to a client’s request to perform a service that is typically outside your scope or level of experience, can also lead to a lot of frustration and wasted time. So reeeeally weigh if a project is worth taking on if part of it falls outside of your zone of genius. It’s ok to say no or refer them to someone else. There will always be another opportunity.

I have a lot more tips to share, but these 3 are major in improving your own work-life balance!

In my work from anywhere planner, I not only help you create your own work from anywhere business, but it also covers boundary setting and wellness as a freelancer and how to plan your own workation to work from anywhere you please. Check it out!