The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur members are their own.
In my experience in the corporate world and as an entrepreneur, “hustle” and “work-life balance” are two terms that get used a lot, and most of the time people who use these terms don’t really understand them. Instead, these terms are used as buzzwords in an attempt to motivate team members or look good in front of colleagues when in fact they have the opposite effect. I want this to stop.
There is nothing wrong with using any of these terms, but in my opinion, if you are going to use them, it is important to really understand them and believe in what they stand for. This can be tricky, especially if you’re a business owner or a working parent, or both. However, it is possible. I know because that’s how I run my business.
RELATED: Why Hustle Culture Can Be Toxic To Your Business
Fuss
Someone may disagree with me, but, in my opinion, this is not “flex” if you are constantly fussing. Some business owners and team members like to brag about a permanent job, but what do they actually achieve? Are they really ahead of the game because they devote all their time to work? Are they satisfied with their lives? Are they mentally and physically healthy? Or are they just playing a role to show that they are doing better than they really are?
After years of working in the top positions in the corporate world and now as an entrepreneur running his own company, “fuss” is overrated as far as I’m concerned. Sure, there will be times when you need to work hard to meet a deadline or because you have a particularly challenging project, but if you manage your time properly, this shouldn’t be your daily reality. Constantly hustling is a surefire way to burn out, and whether you’re doing all the work or it’s your team being asked to hustle, it’s not something anyone wants.
Balance between work and personal life
I know that work-life balance is important. In fact, this is what I personally preach. The problem is that people use the term but don’t put it into practice. I don’t consider work-life balance when you usually answer emails or calls after hours when you should be spending time with your family or just by yourself. If you say that your work day ends at a certain time, but you continue to focus on work, what is this balance?
It is unfair for leaders to expect their team members to constantly dedicate time to work after hours, and it is unfair for team members to constantly ignore their work during the work day to focus on their personal affairs. Of course, there are exceptions, but they should only be exceptions and, if possible, agreed in advance. In any case, when you constantly divide your attention between work and personal, both will suffer.
On the subject: 10 myths about work-life balance and what to do instead
When something doesn’t go according to plan
I started to think a lot more about “busyness” and “work-life balance” when quarantine, school and kindergarten closures completely turned our lives upside down, essentially erasing the line separating work and personal life. For people without children, adjustment may have been less problematic, but for those who were suddenly forced to figure out how to manage school and childcare at home while also working from home, it was a huge challenge.
While I have always run my company with a family-first philosophy, this approach has been critical during the pandemic. Since many of my team members were not prepared to accommodate children at home during the working day, I paid particular attention to creating a supportive and flexible environment with the understanding that as long as the work gets done and quality is maintained, there is no need to insist on eight hours of everyone’s full attention. person in a row.
I think we’ve all come out of the pandemic with a deeper understanding of what it means to hustle and how to achieve work-life balance. Overall, as a team, we have been able to successfully adapt to the demands of the pandemic, and the habits we have developed during this time have been carried over into our current operations.
The best way
By keeping our family philosophy first and guided by what we’ve learned during the pandemic, my business partner and I have gone above and beyond to take the “hustle” out of our work and achieve true “work-life balance.” That is, when we work, we are 100% focused on our work, and when we are not working, we are 100% focused on our personal lives. We have a set work schedule, and we very rarely let work take away our personal time. We demand the same from our team because we know they have a life outside of work that deserves their full attention. This organization of time means that we never get distracted. It improves the quality of our work and our emotional well-being.
This does not mean that we are so inflexible that we cannot move away during the day to attend to some personal business. And this does not mean that random work questions will not spill over into our personal time. In fact, this means that when we are at work, we are all working, fully focused on the current tasks. No one is afraid to communicate when it’s time to take a break or step aside, and no one lets work overshadow their personal lives.
Related: Replacing the Hustle Mindset with the No Hustle Mindset
I understand that not everyone is able to practice what I stand for here, but perhaps they can try to draw a clearer line between their work and family life. Or maybe they’ll find ways to better organize their time so they don’t work overtime.
My experience tells me that when you believe in the concepts that you preach to your team and your colleagues, you are more likely to achieve your goals, you do quality work without sacrificing your well-being, and you get what you need. stay productive while maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal time.