The undying question: is work-life balance possible? I believe that yes, work-life balance is possible however, it’s not going to be one-size-fits-all.

Work-life balance comes down to managing and upholding boundaries from others and the boundaries we set for ourselves.

As a creative entrepreneur, it’s easy to let your personal boundaries slide to accommodate your client requests, especially if you consider yourself someone who tends to aim to please others more than might be healthy.

A poor work-life balance is where burnout begins as we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we’re missing out on time with our loved ones and overall, we become overwhelmed and stressed out.

To regain control and create a healthier work-life balance you first must recognize that each of us will have a unique formula that works best. What works for your fellow creative entrepreneur, may not for you.

Less work, more life

Proactive and honest time management is a big factor in ensuring I have a balanced work-life schedule. Ways that I do this is by:

• Booking a limited number of branding sessions every week
• Having set office hours and communicating them to my current and inquiring clients
• Scheduling a self-care day every week outside of the weekend (yes, I only work 4 days a week!)
• Taking off 95% of weekends (I have one Saturday a month available for branding clients)
• Leaving my phone in another room to avoid aimless scrolling during the work day
• Saying no to projects that don’t align with my business
• Delegating / outsourcing my editing, blogging, Pinterest, email marketing, web design and accounting

Being proactive in your boundaries and self-care is essential but just in case things slide too far, awareness is your next best friend. Knowing when you are feeling out of balance with your commitments and inner expectations is when you’re able to make a change.

When I’m feeling unbalanced, the first thing I do is assess how I’m spending my time. Have I been working late every day this week? Have I been canceling plans with loved ones? Am I feeling like I “have” or “should” be doing things that I really don’t?

Discovering what I’ve been doing and why I’ve been doing it helps me create a solution that gets me back to feeling in balance with my business and overall life.

Here is a sequence of questions you can ask yourself to help regain work-life balance:

1. How do I want my business and life to feel like everyday?
2. Did today / this week feel like one of those days/weeks?
3. If not, what is within my control that I can change?
4. What actions can I take to get back to feeling balanced? (Saying no, setting boundaries, asking for help, improving self-discipline etc.)
5. What areas do I want to be more proactive about going forward to avoid feeling unbalanced again?

From there, you can start to take action whatever that looks like – remember, baby steps count!