Small Business Talk
The Podcast to Grow your Business Faster
How to Reduce Business Creep into Your Personal Life with Adam Sonnhalter and Jack Mencini
Show Notes
Background
Adam Sonnhalter and Jack Mencini have been partners in their business coaching firm Maximum Value Partners since 2003. MVP trains, mentors, and inspires the owners of small businesses on how to achieve results they’ve only dreamed of, no matter what business they’re in. The duo also started a weekly radio show and podcast in 2016 called Dirty Secrets of Small Business to help shine light on some of the most common challenges and issues facing small business.
Separating Your Business Life from Your Personal Life
Step 1: Stop feeling guilty.
Despite being a business owner, you are also a person. It’s not a crime to have hobbies or to spend a couple of hours a day out of your business to pursue your personal interests. The world will not end if you have to turn your phone off for a few days to enjoy a movie, play a round of golf or read a book.
Can you go for a holiday?
Really go?
Make sure you can take a proper vacation where you ‘switch off’ of work. You don’t need to take your laptop and work the whole time, you don’t need to leave your phone on for calls. Being able to take a real vacation is a huge step in the right direction. If you are going on holiday, you need to be part of that holiday.
Setting Boundaries
Turning off your mind completely is a hard thing to do, but you can set boundaries. What do you need to do in order to make sure that you’re not working when you aren’t meant to be? How can you live your best life as a business owner without hurting yourself or your business? Are you:
- Delegating?
- Communicating?
- Getting enough sleep?
- Saying ‘no’ to non-urgent phone calls?
What is an Emergency?
What constitutes an emergency phone call? What is an emergency that requires you to drop everything and get back to your business right now? The list should be shorter than what you’re currently thinking.
Most things can wait 24 hours.
Do you really need to take that call right now?
Tips to Reclaim Your Life as a Business Owner
- Prioritise – What is the one thing that you need to get done today, the task that is urgent and will be your most important goal to complete first.
- Mindset – Do you feel empowered to make your day your own? To reclaim your life in both business and personal factors?
- Scheduling – Having an idea of how to spread out your day beforehand can make a big difference, whether you choose a calendar or a simple phone notification for that one meeting.
- Meetings – Is everything managed in a way that is optimised for yours and everyone else’s freedom? Making sure meetings stay on track is an important touch.
- Close the door – If you work from home, keep everything in an office where you can physically close the door on.
- Hard stop – Have a part of your routine that sets the workday as done, whether closing the door or going for a walk
Links
Contact
Take Control of Your Entrepreneurial Journey with Small Business Talk Podcast
Listen to Episode 170 of Small Business Talk for the full details.
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