Top work-life balance tips for VAs and entrepreneurs

Last year, more than 4.6million people decided to become their own boss. According to a recent study by the Government Equalities Office, 10% of the female population in the UK is considering starting their own business. The nation has the entrepreneurial bug.

It’s a rewarding lifestyle, but a challenging one, according to Edward Poland, Co-Founder of hirespace.com. Entrepreneurs should prepare for a fast-paced and relentless ride. Here are Edward’s six top tips for maintaining that all-important work-life balance.

1. Know your apps. There are hundreds of apps and products out there to make you more efficient at your job. These are a godsend for maintaining a busy schedule, and many of them are free. Wunderlist, Pocket, Buffer, Loop, Trello and Litmus are some of my favourites. Slack is essential for communication once you start to build a team.
2. Outsource key tasks. When you start a business, there’s always a lot of administrative and research jobs that are crucial but take your focus and drain your time. Consider outsourcing anything that doesn’t directly generate revenue. Sites such as Upwork are a handy, low-cost option for these.
3. Set reminders! There’s no way I’d survive without email and phone reminders. Structuring your time is difficult when you have your own business, as lots of things can hit you at once. To stay on top of key tasks and appointments, make sure you have reminders set; otherwise you’ll miss that all important meeting.
4. We’re all tempted to go online, all the time. When you’re running a business there’s always a reason to log on – emails, spontaneous research, social media. It’s distracting. Disconnect from all devices for at least a couple of hours every day and spend it planning your strategy. Your productivity will jump.
5. Look after yourself. However well you plan, there will always be days and weeks where you’re working non-stop. Late nights, early mornings, relentless social occasions to promote your business. You can’t afford to get run down, so eat well, exercise and sleep often. And save time for things you enjoy, and that are in no way work related. That’s the most important part of all!

Edward Poland is Co-Founder of events marketplace hirespace.com, which helps PAs source venues for meetings, events and conferences. Hire Space was set up from Ed’s kitchen in 2012, and now lists 4000+ venues