What’s one way busy leaders can achieve their personal goals or side projects while keeping their business in top shape?
These answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization made up of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue annually and have created tens of thousands of jobs. More information at yec.co.
1. Think of it as cross-training
Instead of thinking of the time you spend on other projects as “cheating on your business,” think of it as a form of cross-training. Just as athletes cross-train, spending time on other passions allows you to gain different perspectives and develop different parts of yourself. Recognize that pursuing other passions while being an entrepreneur can increase your chances of success.
– Erik Severinghaus, Hyde Park Angels
2. Empower your team to live a balanced life
What you soon realize is that there will always be work. There will always be more to do. Part of good leadership is how you shape your life. The sooner you realize this and empower yourself to step away, the better you can shape a healthy lifestyle and, more importantly, create a work environment where the people you lead can thrive.
– Ryan Meghdies, Tastic Marketing Inc.
3. Learn to prioritize
Prioritization and time management are essential for successfully combining competing interests. Any company you lead needs to continue to perform strongly if it has employees counting on it. No one wants to miss a paycheck because you finally climbed a mountain. At the same time, though, you have to find a way to make time to climb your mountains!
–James Behmke, Behmke Innovation Group LLC
4. Become a time management expert
Get really good at time management. Your day should be planned as much as possible with what you want to get done, what is most important and what can wait, and approximately how much time you have for each task. Once you achieve that level of time management, you should have all the time in the world to achieve your personal goals without your business suffering one bit.
– Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
5. Make time for self-care
One surefire way busy business leaders can achieve their goals is by managing their time well. It is important to prioritize the important things and not forget to take time for yourself. Self-care is also very important. It prevents people from experiencing burnout. Rest, in turn, will give a busy leader time and energy to achieve the personal goals he has set for himself.
– John Hall, Calendar
6. Use productivity apps
I like to use time productivity applications when I’m at work. I know my hours at work don’t require tracking, but I like to know how long it takes to complete certain tasks. Using this information, I can make improvements and learn how to seamlessly balance time between my professional and personal lives.
– John Turner, SeedProd LLC
7. Make personal time non-negotiable
Setting aside non-negotiable time (daily or weekly) for a side project or personal goals is a great way to ensure those goals are met on time or that side projects are completed efficiently.
– Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
8. Eliminate low-priority tasks
The key to not becoming overwhelmed by work is to eliminate low-priority tasks and focus on the task at hand. We often have more time than we realize. When we shift our focus by multitasking, we actually use more energy and create stress. Focusing on one task at a time will ensure that you complete your work well and on time. Plus, you’ll have the energy you need for personal tasks.
–Blair Williams, MemberPress
9. Specific tasks for time blocks
I use a combination of strategies to balance my personal goals with running a robust business. One of the things I do is use time blocking to hyper-focus on specific tasks within a time frame. Another important strategy is to delegate to others and avoid meetings that are not a priority. This way I can spend time on my family and my personal goals.
– Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
10. Do what’s important
No business leader who does enough does everything. No one with a full schedule can complete every project he or she wants to work on. What separates excellence from mediocrity is the ability to know which activities produce the best results and then focus on them 90% of the time. Do you want your business to run smoothly? Spend more time during your hiring process to get the best out of yourself.
– Samuel Thimothy, OneIMS
11. Hire people to help you with your business
To create enough time to enjoy your side projects, you will probably need to hire more people to help you with your business. When the workload becomes too much, you know it’s time to start the hiring process and find the people who best fit your company’s needs. This gives you more time to work on personal projects and get away from the company.
– Jared Atchison, WPForms
12. Set specific start and end times for work
If leaders want to achieve their personal goals, they need a fundamental understanding of time management. If you fail to schedule your work time to start and end at specific hours, you will already lose control of your days. It is crucial that you don’t let work consume you and that you have a good work-life balance at the end of the day. Keeping track of time is essential.
– Stephanie Wells, Formidable Shapes
13. Draw a clear line between work and personal time
As a leader, you spend a lot of time strategizing to make your business a great success. But you need to draw a clear line between your personal and professional lives. Once that’s done, there’s no way you won’t be able to accomplish your personal goals or side projects while running your business to keep it in top shape.
– Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
14. Let your team support you on your journey
If you are a busy leader, you need to learn how to delegate tasks. Your team is there to help and support you along the journey. Allowing key members of your team to take over responsibilities can free up some of your time, meaning you have more opportunities to work on your goals or side projects.
– John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC