Real talk:  Balance.  Balance is probably my biggest struggle as a business owner. Trying to figure out how to juggle being a boss lady, as well as a wife, and maintain quality friendships and time with family.  When you first start your own business, creating your own hours and working when you want to work sounds like a dream!  But then you find out just how hard it is to “turn off” your business mind and be fully present in other aspects of your life.  I am still figuring it all out, to be honest, but here are some things that I have learned that might be helpful to you as well if this is a struggle in your own life and business:

1)  Turn off email and app notifications on your phone. 

If I’m constantly hearing my phone dinging and pulling my attention away from time with my husband or my friends, then I’m not being fully present and I don’t really enjoy my time spent with others.  It’s amazing how much you don’t even miss those notifications when you turn them off!

2)  Office days. 

Mondays are for emailing, blogging, editing, and all the other things that require me sitting at my computer for a good chunk of the day.  If I knock out a solid to-do list at the beginning of the week, the rest of the week feels so much smoother and stress-free!

3)  Learning to say “No.” 

This is possibly my hardest lesson!  I am a yes girl and hate feeling like I am letting anyone down or disappointing someone with a No answer.  Sometimes it’s hard to say No to something that I truly want to do – coffee with a friend or a dinner date or a fun evening out.   But I’m learning that a packed schedule can take away from the quality of my time, and that I enjoy my days better when sometimes the answer is No.

Tell me, how are you finding balance in your own life?