I am in bed because I have Covid-19, with a ton of pillows propping me up, writing this blog post. This is where I combat the false idea of work-life balance. Work-Life Balance has been a bit of a trending buzzword for a while now and it's time, at least for the Home Based Business Solopreneurs, to stop the madness and convert your thinking to new terminology and the new word is INTEGRATION.
As a whole Solopreneurs kill their businesses by trying to separate and compartmentalize work and life to create some false sense of balance. When in fact, Home Based Business Solopreneurs should be embracing Integration over Balance. Especially seeing that work and life are all in the same environment.
When you're a Solopreneur, it can be tough to find work-life balance. After all, you're the boss, the employee, the marketer, and the accountant. It can be hard to draw the line between work and home life when they are so intertwined. But finding work-life integration is key to success as a Solopreneur. In this blog post, we'll discuss how to do just that!
Work-Life Integration Over Work-Life Balance
Defining Balance and Integration:
Balance is the state of being equal or in proportion - an even distribution.
Work-Life Balance is the state when your time spent on work is proportional to the time spent on your personal life.
Integration is the act of combining of separate parts or elements to form a whole.
Work-Life Integration is the state when you are able to integrate your work life and personal life in a way that works best for you.
The biggest difference between Work-Life Balance and Work-Life Integration is that Work-Life Balance implies that there is a set amount of time and steadiness, while Work-Life Integration is having an intertwine, synergy, and harmony between work and personal life.
Think about it this way, if you have Work-Life Balance that would be like having 50% of your time at work and 50% of your time for personal life. Work-Life Integration would be more like 70% work and 30% personal or vice versa, where the percentages are dependent on what is happening in your life at that moment. The key is that Work-Life Integration is flexible and can change as needed, unlike Work-Life Balance.
Work-Life Integration is what allows you to have a successful Home Based Business as a Solopreneur. Work-Life Balance is for those who have a job and work set hours, where their personal life is scheduled around their work life. Even then it is difficult to keep the scales equal and balanced. Work-Life Integration is being able to create your own schedule, working when you want and how it's best for the life you desire to create. Next let's look at a few steps on how to create Work-Life Integration as a Home Based Business Solopreneur.
How Do You Create Integration Of Life and Business Successfully
Step 1. Redefine and Reframe Your Business Model and Process. What this means is you have to create new definitions and new ways of doing business based on your personal needs. You can't use someone else time or productivity schedule to build your business model. You have to create and function around what works best for you. It's OK to have mentors to help and guide you in your journey but don't let anyone override your gut feelings and how you desire to build your business.
Let me give you an example of Redefining and Reframing around a topic that is difficult for many Solopreneurs ...... Making Sells.
I like so many other Solopreneurs had a difficult time in the area of making sales. I really had to understand what was making me uncomfortable in order to redefine the meanings and reframe my thoughts around the concept. So I created my own definitions of those words in order to make the process easier.
Step 2. Set Your Own Agenda. Remember you're the "Boss" so you get to set the agenda, the goals, the purpose, the why, the who, and every damn variable about your business and life.....PERIOD!!
Recognize that your time schedule will not be like anyone you know. It will change daily, weekly, and monthly and that's OK. It's also ok to take breaks from home from time to time? Why, because you can and it's your life. Work-Life Integration is about creating the life you want to live not what society or social media tells you that you should live.
So set an agenda for each day, week, and month but don't be afraid to change it as needed. I've found that if I get up each morning with an idea of what I want to accomplish for the day it helps me stay focused. If something comes up that needs my attention then I'll adjust as needed but I always come back to my list to make sure I'm still on track.
Step 3: 30 Minute Integration Technique (MIT). Work-Life Integration is not an all-or-nothing concept. It is an intertwine or beautiful dance. As a Home Based Business Solopreneur, you recognize all the many roles you carry at one time. Mom, Dad, Boss, Daughter, Son, Chef, Dishwasher, Maid and so much more.
There is no way in the real life of a Solopreneur to make work-life balancing achievable. And why would you want to do that anyway? I love the fact that I get to take some time in the middle of the day, to sit out on the front porch and have a glass of tea and chat with my dad. Take my mom to all her doctor's appointments every month or to her 11 am salon appointment to get a wash and set. Those are really important things to me that I don't want to miss out on.
So I created the 30 Minute Integration Technique. This is where I sit down for 30 minutes at a time and work on my business. It is a Short Focused period of time. This way I don't get overwhelmed by all the life stuff like health, parents, house, and kids, that comes up every day. I take spots of 30 minutes all throughout the day completing tasks. I accomplish so much and I feel productive. Surprisingly, it took away procrastination. I also get to select how many 30 MIT sessions I want to do each day. Some days I do 4 or 6 and other days 1 or 2. Sometimes none at all, but that's the beauty of it, I get to decide. It takes off all the pressure.
Now it's time for you to take these 3 steps and implement them into your business. If you find they work for you then great, use them. If you need to modify them to make a perfect fit, do whatever it takes to make Integration work for you. Just remember Integration over Balance, you'll be happier for it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Work-Life Integration is not an all-or-nothing concept. It is an intertwine or beautiful dance.
- Work-Life Integration is about creating the life you want to live not what society or social media tells you.
- Set an agenda for each day, week, and month but don't be afraid to change it as needed.
- Work in short focused periods of time throughout the day to avoid getting overwhelmed.
- Take off all the pressure by deciding how many 30-minute sessions you want to do each day.
- Implement these steps into your business and remember Work-Life Integration over Work-Life Balance. You'll be happier for it.
Do you have any tips on Work-Life Integration? If so, please share in the comments below.
I'd love to hear from you.
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