5 hacks to keep your life in balance when leading a startup
Eaten numerous doughnuts in the last week? Feel like you haven’t seen daylight in a while? Or believe your dog is starting to forget who you are?
During the initial few months/years of a startup, the hours may seem endless with very little to show for the workload. While they can be extremely rewarding, juggling work and personal responsibilities is difficult. Here are some top tips to help you achieve a healthy work-life balance when leading a start-up.
1. Invest in a whiteboard
Use a whiteboard to keep track of your tasks/to-do list.
Write a list of exactly what needs completed, both short term and long term, and this can be in personal and business life.
There’s nothing more satisfying than the tasks slowly being marked off.
By being organised and having a list, time can be designated efficiently so that everything can be achieved while maintaining a work life balance.
2. Delegate the workload
There are plenty of task management tools available online such as Teamwork, Trello, and Asana . These services help to delegate the workload to the employees most suited for the job. They also allow individual employees to submit their own tasks and to make it easier for employees to collaborate.
3. Use sticky notes
At the beginning of every day, write down 3 of the most important things that need to be completed that day. Stick this at your desk on your monitor to avoid being distracted by other tasks.
Due to the space constraint, the 3 tasks have to be summarized very concisely so that you don’t spend all day writing the tasks.
4. Remove the chance of interruption
Some tasks take longer than others, and often you find yourself 10 minutes in before you become distracted, checking social media or making a phone call.
Turn your phone on airplane mode so that you can’t become interrupted, and tell others not to disturb you unless it’s an emergency.
Apps like Cold Turkey allow you to block all social media sites for a designated length of time so not even your desktop can provide a distraction.
5. Think about workplace wellness
One of the major benefits of leading a start-up is the freedom to make decisions that benefit both the company and employees. A corporate wellness programme is an easy initiative to integrate into your business from day one. Provide space for employees to alternate standing and sitting avoids fatigue and stiffness.
Items like a fold up tennis table or bean bags are a great way to take a break from the desk and get the mind concentrating on something else.
Team building exercises that get employees out of the office on occasion are also great to include in a wellness programme. Some ideas for a wellness programme can be found here.