It’s somehow become the new norm that we do business at all hours. New tools and technologies are supposed to make our lives easier and help us to be more productive, but we’ve slipped into a world of constant connectivity. We’re expected to be on-demand 24/7, at the expense of our health and family life. According to a recent survey published in Forbes, work-life balance is the biggest challenge that entrepreneurs face.
But simply choosing to not expect businesses to cater to you at all hours and carefully communicating to your clients and customers that you are available only during business hours is a good thing, and the best way to cultivate a healthy work-life balance.
And this is good, not only because it benefits your home life. Turns out, it will also help you to be more productive when you’re working so you get more done in less time.
Keep reading to find out why you should return to regular working hours and just how to go about it.
Draw a Line Between Work Life and Home Life
Regular working hours provide a healthy routine and structure to your week. You can switch off when you leave the office at 5 pm, and give yourself time to rest and unwind on the weekends.
It’s important we as business leaders set usual office hours and respect them – both as consumers and providers.
A number of scientific studies prove what most of us already know from experience. If you push yourself to your limits, you won’t be able to maintain the same standard of work. Tasks that typically can be performed quickly take more time, and you become more prone to making errors.
Better Work-Life Balance Makes You More Productive
In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers discovered that the more time we have to do a task, the longer it will take to complete.
This is known as Parkinson’s Law.
If you have regular working hours with a set cut-off time each day, you’re more likely to finish what you need to do before leaving the office. When you have no set work hours, it’s easy to get sidetracked and accomplish less while remaining perpetually busy and stressed.
Consistency Is Key
If you send emails at 7 pm on Sunday, you’re giving your clients the impression that you’re available whenever they need you. You’re not sticking to any set working hours, so your clients don’t know when it’s appropriate to call or how long they need to wait before you reply to an email.
This lack of communication can cause unnecessary customer frustration. For business owners and entrepreneurs, effective communication is one of the most important leadership traits.
When you have set working hours, your clients know when they can call you and when you’re not available. People don’t mind waiting until Monday morning for you to return a call, as long as they know when they can expect to hear back from you.
For example, if you have regular working hours and your client needs your help urgently, they know when to get that help. But if your client has a problem and you’re unavailable because you were working into the small hours the night before, they’re going to panic when you don’t return their messages.
Setting working hours helps avoid any confusion for your clients and allows you to avoid work creeping into your downtime.
Set Boundaries to Protect Your Work-Life Balance
You can’t blame a client for calling you on a Sunday morning if you don’t set regular working hours and tell them when you’re available. Setting boundaries is vital for entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to improve their work-life balance.
Make it clear to your clients when you’re working and when you’re not. It’s always easier to set boundaries at the start of your working relationship, so be upfront about your expectations and include your office hours in your email signature, on your website, and your voicemail.
If you have a client that keeps eating into your personal time, politely explain why you are unavailable outside of your set working hours. It’s better for you, and it’s better for your client.
Remember Why You Do It
Do you work just so you always have something to do? Probably not. Chances are, you work to fund your lifestyle, relationship time, favorite charities, and maybe even a hobby. You don’t live to work, so keep it from spoiling the special moments in life.
There is a satisfaction that comes from doing one thing well and then turning to the next thing to do it well, too. When your daily business is done, put it down. Do life well.
