With a global pandemic, job insecurity, and a strong push to get even more out of employees, it’s no wonder so many people are turning to coaching. The offer is almost too good to be true… Flexible schedule, complete control of your work, increased income, and the freedom to enjoy every moment of your life. Why WOULDN’T you want to be a coach? Well, transitioning into coaching can be a bit of a culture shock. Running your own business does mean you have a flexible schedule, so what’s to stop you from working yourself too hard? A critical struggle you’ll face is finding work life balance as a new coach.
I want to share 5 strategies I use to find work life balance in my coaching business. You’ll see that there is a very important aspect of personal care. Running a successful coaching business takes a holistic approach to ensuring you have everything you need in your business AND your personal life. If you’re struggling to find a balance between your work and life then read these tips and implement them. They might just help you take your coaching business to the next level with confidence and courage!
1) Set boundaries for your working time
The most important thing you will have to do regarding your work life balance is set clear, concise boundaries for your work time. Working for yourself, and from home, means your work computer is never far away. So, when you want to take a break and go play with your dog for a bit it can be hard to separate yourself from your work. Creating a clear boundary around when you will and won’t work helps you be present in the moment.
Remember that this is flexible. Nothing you try will ever be set in stone! If you have trouble stepping away from your computer for a break or at the end of the day then work on mindfulness meditation. No matter what you’re in the middle of, set a 5 minute timer on your phone, close your eyes, and focus on nothing but your breath. Your mind will wander, it’s natural. Just acknowledge that you lost your train of thought and then refocus on your breath. Doing this helps you be present and focus on the current moment. Making this a regular practice will help you separate your work and life so that you can have moments of peace and relaxation in between sprints of work.
2) Create flexible work options
In addition to having clear boundaries for your work, you can also structure your work time in a way that it’s flexible to the random things that come up in your day to day life. You’re the boss now! I live in a really rainy place so throughout the winter if I have a sunny day I’m going to walk my dogs. I may only get an hour of sun so I have to take advantage of it immediately. Sometimes this is at odds with my business. If I’m in the middle of a project then I have a hard time breaking free from my work. Luckily, because I’m the boss I can say that when the sun comes out, all employees are required to go for a walk! Nothing needs to be done RIGHT NOW. Anything can wait.
Balancing the scheduled parts of your business like coaching sessions, sales calls, or collaborative projects allows you to move your schedule around so you can make use of your flexible schedule. Taking the time to do things that refill your passion and give you energy allows you to invest more efficiently and happily in your business. Make it a priority to get out and do fun things that help remind you that you’re the boss and have control over your life.
3) Lower your workload by automating repetitive tasks
There are many tasks you’ll have to do as a business owner that will be downright annoying. Emailing, managing content delivery, designing social media posts… There are platforms you can use to automate these processes and make them easier. If you want to know more about what platforms you could be using to automate your business then check out this blog I wrote.
Email platforms like FloDesk let you write emails and then create a schedule for sending them that can be triggered by sign ups. You can use this for an email list, content delivery, or to send mass emails to your email list easily. Platforms like Tailwind allow you to use powerful algorithms to quickly and easily design social media posts with a few button clicks. Additionally you can schedule content to be posted to social media so you can have consistent posts while only spending a few hours a week at one time writing a bunch of content. Read the blog I linked above to get even more ideas for automating and simplifying your coaching business.
4) Take care of your personal mental/physical health
This one should go without saying which just means it’s the most important one to say. Everyone thinks about methods for growing their business, how to find leads, website hosting… There’s a million problems that you can find easy solutions for online that will help your business thrive. The problem is the only thing that REALLY matters in the success of your coaching business is you. If you don’t take care of yourself then it all begins to crumble.
Taking time to enjoy your passions and hobbies allows you to rest your brain and rebuild your energy for your business. Additionally, building a repertoire of tools you can use to stay motivated and keep your mood up will help you stick with it in the long run. Meditating, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and reading self help books will help you work on your biases so you can be fully present when you need to be. You will also begin to build confidence and courage in yourself and your abilities so you can show up when it really counts like on sales calls and relationship development.
5) Create a plan that you can stick to long term
Everything above is a comprehensive list of things you should keep track of in order to find work life balance. This tip is about making it a sustainable practice. Create a plan that involves all of the things above that you can implement in your business. Making regular time for each of the things above will help you sustain your passion for your business and your life. When you sustain your passion, you’re better able to show up for your clients and yourself and advocate for a better life for everyone. As a coach, your clients are trusting you to help them rebuild their beliefs so they can be successful. You have to show them that you know exactly how to do that.
How YOU can find work life balance as a new coach:
If you’re interested in talking with me about how YOU can find work life balance as a new coach based on your unique needs and goals, book a free call with me today! You can also message me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or at my email Coaching@JenesisRose.com.
