Planning is the first step to striking a healthy balance.
It's essential to make time for social and family
events--don't just plug them in when you have a gap in your
business schedule.
Ian Parr, founder of Construction Cost Systems Inc. in Lombard,
Illinois, coached his children's soccer teams two nights each
week for seven years. Although his kids are now older, Parr, 50,
still sets aside time for travel and other personal activities
while running his 45-employee company, which provides time and cost
controls and related services for construction projects, and its
affiliate CCS/Owner Services, which provides project management and
owner's representation services. "[My principles and I]
delegate, we trust each other, and I don't believe the place
will fall apart if I'm gone," says Parr. "It's a
question of balancing priorities and not being awed by [the
challenge]. It's too easy to look away from the quality of
life."
While carrying out your plans isn't always easy, it can be
done. Larry Meyer, CEO of the Michigan Retailers Association, cites
one entrepreneur who co-owned several sporting goods stores:
"When he [and his wife] had a baby, he took a month off--even
though it was during Christmas [the busy season]. He'd planned
it with his business partner."
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Want to loosen your business's lock on your time? Start by
making a commitment to one or two regularly scheduled activities,
especially on weekdays. Join a bowling league or take ballroom
dancing classes. Regularly accompany your child to swimming or
gymnastics lessons. Volunteer for a few hours in your child's
day-care center or elementary school once a week.
The second step is to schedule--and keep track of--periodic
events, including parent-teacher conferences, field trips needing
parental escorts, soccer games and music recitals. You may miss a
few, but it's easier to avert business conflicts if these
family events are written into your schedule early on. If you have
school-age children, at least plan to occasionally take time off
during school holidays.
Third, use a pen--not a pencil--to record significant dates,
especially anniversaries and family birthdays. Take your spouse to
lunch. Make sure you're home for your child's birthday
party.
At the same time, flexibility on a daily basis is important.
Keep in mind that crises will arise and your business will
occasionally demand your presence outside regular working hours. As
Parr observes, "Business life may require [that I attend] a
board meeting at night or read at home. I don't try to fight
that anymore."
Flexibility works in both directions, however. "If a friend
calls me at the office, I talk to him," Parr says. "If I
take a five-day business trip, when I come back, my bills have to
be paid, the laundry's got to be done; if I have to take an
hour off to do that, I do it. I don't feel guilty." A
flexible mind-set makes it easier to deal with the inevitable:
children who get sick and must stay home from school, cars that
break down, and baby-sitters who don't show up, all of which
may force you to rearrange your work hours.
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