As a small business owner, it is tough to “leave work” because work can take over life. The line between being at work and not being there is extremely blurred in a 24/7 Internet world. Work is no longer really a physical place, but a state of mind. This is especially true for an increasingly number of small business owners that work out of their home.
Here is how to draw the line and separate work from personal life.
1. Set an Alarm
If you’re the type who gets lost in their work and just forgets to look at the clock, use this solution. Simply set a “warning” alarm for when you want to leave work. You can set multiple alarms — one for “wrap it up” and one for “pack up” — each with different sounds.
In addition to setting an alarm on your phone or other device, there may be external cues around your office you can use as alarms as well. For example, when the cleaning crew shows up, you know it’s time to head out!
2. Have a Family Member Call You
Similar, yet more personal than an alarm, is a call from a family member or friend when it’s time for you to head out. If one of your main motivations for leaving work is to spend time with your significant other, friends, or children, this method is effective.
Thinking about seeing someone you care about at the end of the day isn’t always enough to make you shut down the computer. Hearing your daughter’s voice, on the other hand, may be enough motivation for you to want to get home to see her. You’ll need to coordinate this step with your friends and family.
3. Schedule an Activity
Sign up for something that will force you to leave the work at a regular time each day. These activities are also a great way to stay active. If you’ve been meaning to get into shape, sign up for a gym membership. If simply having the membership isn’t enough, plan to meet a friend there or sign up for specific group classes at a given start time.
Other options are to sign up your child for a soccer team and commit to being there for the practices. You can also make a commitment to volunteer at the local food pantry or take an art class.
4. Share Your Goal With Others
One of the best ways to reach a goal is to publicly declare it. Tell your family that your target is to be done with work by dinnertime each night. Share on Facebook and Twitter that you signed up for cycling class and your goal is to attend three times a week after work.
You won’t want to disappoint your family or your followers, so you’ll work harder to achieve those goals than if you kept them to yourself. Ask if anyone wants to join and recruit them to help keep you accountable.
5. Start Small
Some small business owners just have too much to do to be able to leave work when they want to. You’re not going to go from a 14 hour work day to an 8 hour work day overnight. It’s going to be a gradual process. It will require you to delegate tasks to employees or freelancers, empower them to solve problems, and learn to say no.
Ultimately, leaving work, both mentally and physically, comes down to you starting to make one small change and then building on it.
How are you going to make sure you leave work today?
Republished by permission. Original here.
Working Mom Photo via Shutterstock
[“source-smallbiztrends”]
