The elusive work-life balance. Is it just a buzzword? Is it just a dream that’s simply unattainable?
Or is it a lot closer than you think?
What is a Work-Life Balance?
In 2020, work-life balance, the equilibrium between personal life and career, became more complicated than ever.
With many people working from home, they are now surrounded by their work 24/7. Not to mention, with our phones in our hands and our laptops open nearly every waking hour, it’s virtually impossible to keep a clear line between work and life.
And don’t get us wrong: it’s an admirable quality to work so hard and be so devoted to your success. Hard work is necessary, but there has to be a balance of hard work and the other things you enjoy, or what’s the point of all that hard work in the first place?
Work-life balance for business owners
Too many business owners are overworked. They’re spending too much time on their business and forgetting other areas of their life.
With all of their focus on their business, what’s getting left behind?
At the end of each year, they look back and realize they never took that weekend ski trip. They weren’t always on the sideline of their kid’s sports games. Or maybe their health has been put on the back-burner. All because they were working.
Now, they’re left burnt out, and regretful of what they DIDN’T do, rather than reaping the rewards of what they DID do: work on their business.
Our clients are successful. They work hard. But many forget to allocate time to much else outside of building their business.
So, we ask, “What are your goals?” Without a clear answer, we know it’s time to talk about financial goal-setting.
Using Financial Goal Setting to Fix Your Work-life Balance
Recently, one of our clients told us she was working 60 hours a week. She was successful but had no time to focus on anything else. (Sound familiar?)
So we took her through the goal-setting process required as the first step to creating a financial plan. She was reminded that she ALSO wanted to focus on her health, having time for her family, her friends, and that two-month trip to Australia she always wanted to take.
We then made sure her money was allocated with those goals in mind. But it’s the goal-setting process that matters most here. Setting these goals reminded her not to just concentrate on one area of her life (in this case, work) but to ensure you have the time and resources to enjoy your other passions, too.
By the way, while we’re talking about work-life balance, it’s also a good time to talk about separating your business and personal expenses. Here’s how.
FINANCIAL GOAL SETTING TIPS
As for the financial goal-setting process we use? Here are some helpful tips to get you started with your own.
Clarity
To begin, you need to get very clear about what you want.
When you say work-life balance, does that mean taking an extra week off each year? Does that mean not touching your work computer on Sundays? Maybe it means taking a two-week vacation or finally taking that rock climbing class you’ve always talked about.
Determine what work-life balance would look like for you, then let’s get started on setting goals to get you there.
Look at your numbers
Once you’re clear on your goals, it’s time to get clear on your numbers.
Where is your money going? (Here’s how to make a cash flow plan to find out) What would it take to feel comfortable taking an extra week off each year?
Often, once you’re clear on your numbers, you’ll see that you’re in a much better position than you realized.
Visualization
At Ocean 6, we believe in powerful and ambitious goals. We also believe that visualization is one of the best tools at your disposal for reaching them.
Visualization requires you to want something, perceive it, and believe in it. You can literally retrain and rewire your brain to make those things happen.
And we’re here to help! That’s exactly why we created The Future You goal setting and visualization–to transport you to a place where you can set goals that will actually stick.
Financial goal-setting support
We can help you clarify your goals and organize your financial picture. The first step is to sign-up for our twenty-minute visualization led by Meditation Coach and Visualization Expert Nicole Collet right here. You’ll even get a Goal Setting Workbook, including a goal planner so you can write down the goals as they come to you during your visualization.
No matter what your financial goals look like, we are here to help you not only set them but to ensure you reach them too. Book a call today to get started.
