smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Three-quarters of small business owners believe their quality of life has improved since they took the plunge and started up on their own, according to research from insurance firm MORE TH>N Business.

More than four-fifths of respondents said their reasons for starting up were to be happier and almost half wanted to see more of family and friends. MORE TH>N Business has dubbed these lifestyle entrepreneurs “alterpreneurs”. See our article on this by clicking here.

Judy Osborn quit her senior-level job in a top London PR firm to set up her own PR business, Purple Rabbit, in order to become more flexible and spend more time with her son. 'I found the stress of commuting to London with a young baby back in Oxfordshire just too much to bear,' she says. 'Starting my own business was the best decision I've made, as it has allowed me to become more 'Mum' than 'Working Mum'. My firm has done well and I can honestly say that I now enjoy the best of both worlds – work and private life.'

MORE TH>N asked life coach Sally Ann Law to come up with some helpful tips to help busy owners of small firms achieve a good balance between work and home life.

1. Do a ‘life audit’. Work out what’s good/bad/indifferent in your life. Get rid of as many activities in the ‘bad’ and ‘indifferent’ categories as possible. ‘Scale up’ all the activities that bring joy; either do them more often or look for ways to get more out of them.
2. Keep a record for one week of how you actually spend your time, both in and out of work. Work out a plan to structure your day or week more effectively. Review and modify over time.
3. Choose, or try to negotiate, at least one day per week where you stop working two hours earlier than usual. Do something beneficial in that gained time, either with your family or for yourself alone.
4. Before you leave work, make an ordered, realistic list of what you intend to accomplish the next day. Build enough slack into the day to allow for unexpected tasks.
5. Make rules to limit email use to particular times in the day. Switch your mobile phone to ‘silent’ when you’re busy. Technology isn’t inherently stressful, it’s the way we allow it to influence us that can be.
6. Get some form of exercise two or three times a week. Choose something you like (or hate least) and get started. Exercise reduces stress and improves concentration.
7. Ask those you care about the most what changes they would like to see. You may be surprised what they say. Sometimes the smallest changes can bring happiness to you and others, especially children.
8. Look for ways to connect, or reconnect, with friends outside of work. Invite friends to join you in activities you enjoy, that way you see more of them and spend time doing what you like.
9. Focus on the present. Keep working to make the present and near-term future as calm and happy as you can…the future will take care of itself that way.
10. Get support tackling any or all of the above tips. It’s not easy to make changes, particularly when they affect others. Remember you are doing it for all the right reasons and don’t give up!

To find out how your work/life balance is try the quiz on www.alterpreneur.co.uk.

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