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How to Balance Your Business (So it Doesn’t Destroy Your Personal Life)

Brett Snodgrass
4 min read
How to Balance Your Business (So it Doesn’t Destroy Your Personal Life)

Guys, one of the biggest problems I see in the lives of those around me in real estate (and in business in general) is the issue of living a balanced life.

I think it’s safe to say that most entrepreneurs are extremist by nature. Our minds can go from 0 to 100 in less than a blink of an eye.

The majority of the time this is a good thing, but it can (and does) create some problems.

For one thing, if we get focused on something, we get HYPER-focused, and everything else can easily be pushed to the back burner.

You see, a lot of us (me included) choose business over the “slavery” of a conventional 9-5. At cocktail parties, we entrepreneurs are the first ones to rant about the value of people’s time and the importance of lifestyle design, and we strongly advocate business as the means to facilitate that freedom for everyone.

But more often than not, we’ll exchange being a slave for the “man” for being a slave to our business.

I’m sure the people who have been at the real estate game for a while can relate — when you quit your 40 hour a week gig, you’re signing up for a 24/7 job when you start your own business!

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Related: 3 Success Factors That Separate Thriving New Businesses From Failed Ventures

Structuring Your Life Effectively

The fact of the matter is you’re always connected to your business, and because of that, it’s essential if you want to have a life beyond your business that you set up boundaries.

As a business owner, there will always be more to do. You just have to structure your life where you have a stopping point each day and you have a very keen perspective on what’s most important to you.

For example, the order of my priorities in life are: my faith, my family, my health and then my business — at least, that’s what I tell myself.

But if these are truly the order of priority of my life then the first thing I should be doing with my time should follow this list in sequential order.

But does it happen that way?

Not as often as I’d liked to attempt.

The truth is, the majority of my time goes to my business, and in times where I’m really out of balance, everything else takes a backseat to my business.

I’ll work and work and work until I drop — and in those moments, I sit back and ask myself, “What kind of father am I to my kids if I’m not there? What kind of husband am I if I’m not giving those ‘top’ priorities any attention or commitment?”

They aren’t priorities at that point; they’re conveniences, and all they get is the leftovers. I want to be the kind of person who is faithful to what he holds valuable in life.

How to Get the Most Important Things in Life Done

You know, I’ve heard that Charles Schwab once asked a gentleman for advice on how to get the most important things done in life.

That gentleman replied, “Before you go to bed, write out the six most important things you need to get down in your life, and then when you wake up, don’t do number two until you finish with number one.”

It is said that Mr. Schwab was so astonished by this advice that he ended up writing that gentleman a check for today’s equivalent of $250,000.

Related: Why Following a Purposeful Schedule is VITAL to Happiness & Productivity

It’s super simple, but it’s effective: Write out a list of what’s most important to you in sequential order. Then with your time, give priority to the order of the list.

For me, this looks like starting every day reading Scripture.

Then it’s making sure that I’m always there for my daughter’s dance recitals, no matter what is happening at the office.

It also looks like regularly taking my wife on dates and leaving work at the office once I’m home. Sometimes this is really difficult, but I have to push the thoughts of work to the back burner and focus on being present for my family when I’m with them.

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It also looks like hitting the gym before I get head into the office and making sure I’m eating in a way that affiliates energy and overall health.

All the things that I have placed as a priority needs to actually be a priority.

Doing this does some really positive things.

For starters, I’m a lot more focused and productive when I am at work. Because I’m balanced in the other things in my life, when it comes to the time I do give to my business, I’m a lot more present and my energy and mental focus is sharper. I tend to get a lot more done with less time.

Secondly, I’m a lot more fulfilled and happier. When I take time for the things that are meaningful to me, I get a lot more out of my time here on earth. I am happy, and that really makes the time I am at work a lot more enjoyable.

Stress is evil and demonic! Don’t allow it in your life!

Leave Enough Margin in Your Life

You see, my wife has this really cool phrase, where she says, “Leave enough margin in your life.”

What she means by that is that in your entrepreneurial ideas and endeavors, make sure you don’t over-commit to something to the point that it will hinder the other priorities in your life.

Make sure their is a time “cushion” in place just in case something you do commit to something that ends up taking more time than you think.

I think that is golden advice, as it gives yourself some room to buffer against commitments that will take away from things that are important to you.

I guess the takeaway in all this is to actually prioritize things in your life and value them to the point that business doesn’t suck the life out of you.

I have met so many people who have lost friends, marriages, and pretty much everything else in the name of “success.”

I don’t want that for you. Money is a lonely companion if that’s all you have.

Hope this inspired you this week to make some changes!

See you in the comments!

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.