Entrepreneurship & Balance: We’re Not Superhuman

Balance is defined as an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.

As a black female entrepreneur, I know I find myself trying to remain upright and steady. I feel as if I have to complete X amount of tasks a day to be successful, but what I feel and what is true is not always the same concept.

How many things on average do you feel like you have to get done, especially if you are still working your day job. I actually took a day and kept track of the amount of tasks I had to complete in that day. I had 31 tasks I planned for within 24 hours. Many of those tasks required more than 1 hour. Those statistics DON’T look good.

The next day, I made the plan to only highlight items that had a deadline within the next 24 hours. This resulted in having 12 things that HAD to get done. Ultimately I was able to finish all 12 of those item. That’s to say we have to STOP making things priorities that aren’t. As entrepreneurs, we already balance so many things – There has to be a balance between what we HAVE to do and what we WANT to do.

With that being said, let’s talk about 3 tips to balance being a black millennial entrepreneur in 2019.

3 Ways to Create Balance

• Don’t cancel plans with family. You may not think this one is important, but it is. Personal time away from work is much needed in order to remain in prime condition. If you have family dinner 2 nights a week, keep it. That’s a time that you cannot work I don’t schedule clients on Saturday’s after 4PM, because no matter what that is date night with my spouse. Some things you have to prioritize.
• Hire Help. Listen to me sis. You don’t have to do everything yourself. What are you good at? What aren’t you good at. Make a list of both of those things. If you aren’t good at them, hire someone. I’m currently on the search for a virtual assistant because I know I slip on follow up e-mails more often than I should, similarly I also know that I’m the BOMB at creating quotes. I have my social media content written out months in advance, posting however is another story. Hire help, and you can put more time into the things that matter, which will ultimately increase your income.
• It’s more than just balance. Balance is the key, YES. Remember that some days will be more business focused and some day will hold another focus. A former mentor of mine used the example of holding 2 balls in your hands. In one hand is a glass ball that will break if you drop it, and in another hand there’s a plastic ball that will bounce. Some days, your business will be the glass ball. If you drop it, it shatters and your family will be the bouncy ball. You can drop it briefly and pick it back up, for example you can miss a weekend with friends, but make it up later. There will be other times where your family and your friends are the glass ball. Perhaps your spouse needs you or your kids. Your business can be dropped temporarily to ensure you don’t drop the glass.

How will you create balance in as an entrepreneur?

It’s critical to have balance as an entrepreneur, because as women we often want to be a Superwoman and be all things to everybody. It’s just not possible. My goal for the next 30 days is to create a sustainable balance, something that I can do consistently to ensure my business and my home flourish.

See how Nikki is balancing entrepreneurship on her blog, and come back next week for more entrepreneurship tips.