A common conundrum that entrepreneurs find themselves in is that of work-life balance.  Even more so is a life-timing balance.  Often we are financially unstable, working 80 hour weeks, failing and starting up again, and we continue to put off life saying that once we achieve “x”, then we will be ready.  The common ones are marriage, children, vacations and travel, family time, personal time (not work related), etc.  I find myself with this dilemma on a regular basis, and here I am preparing for my first kid, a baby boy due in February!  I’m excited and have simply had to put those worries aside and know that I’ll figure it out.  There’s always a way and it’s never as bad as you initially think. Sometimes you just need to make it happen!

Live life in spite of circumstance

Sometimes life must be lived regardless of what circumstance permits.  Vacations and family time can only be passed on for so long before it grows too late.  Entrepreneurship is consuming and, for those who haven’t realized it yet, LIFELONG! 

Many entrepreneurs come face-to-face with burnout at some point in their career.  When a company is in its infancy, it is common to put in long hours with little immediate result, in hopes of the big “payday” in the future.  The danger comes when burnout hits long before that grand day.

Achieving entrepreneurial balance is one of the most difficult efforts and one of the most important.  Balancing work, play, family, spirituality, etc. will provide additional energy and clarity that work alone will not deliver.  One must be careful not to simply neglect work or stagnate in work in attempts to maintain other areas, but strain, stretch, and push work efforts while ensuring adequate “wind-down” time with family, friends, and hobbies.  I personally have found this to be a necessity.  Spending time with my wife, painting, photography, mountain biking, and rock climbing are my chosen outlets.  This does not mean that work stress does not mount up, however.

I write this for myself as much as anyone else, even more so.  I am in a continual battle to find balance in order to achieve the desired success, not success at the cost of life. A recent post at bootstrapbusiness.org comments on this issue.  I recommend the book to any interested in bootstrapping. It states:

[advice from a mentor]:

“Rich, I want you to remember this: you can replace anything in life. You can replace a job, a car, money, anything, but you can’t replace your health, your trust relationships, or your family.”

It finishes with:

You do not need to sacrifice family, health, or trust relationships in exchange for entrepreneurial success. I contend that you will be more effective, happy, and successful if you do not.

Any ideas on ways to stay balanced?