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Busy to Balanced - Top 10 Secrets of Life Balance for Busy Businesswomen
Business women are well known for being some of the busiest people around.
by Consuelo Meux, Ph.D. is the Founder and President of the National Association of Christian Women in Busines

With either a home based business to run or one away from home, combined with responsibilities in the home for family or alone, there's always something to take up too much time. In fact, some women start a home based business in an effort to be able to spend more time with their family while earning an income. While it is never easy to be a full-time working business woman outside the home, it can be just as hard, if not harder, to be a full-time working business woman from home.

Learning to get a balance in an already business life can be a challenge to any business woman. Here are some secrets for getting a life balance for busy business women if you're a single business woman or one that has a demanding family.

1. A home based business can be a great thing but for the busy woman it can also add another dimension of obligations. If you are alone during the day to do your work, keeping a focus can be problem. If you have the discipline to stay focused you also need to know how to take a break once in a while so you don't burn yourself out.

2. If you have family at home during the day, you have another problem. Family may automatically feel that you are at their service. This is even more so if the children are at home during the day. The day could look like this: one child may need a ride somewhere, another child wants you to find something they are looking for, and your spouse wants you to run to the store and buy something for dinner. On top of all of that, you have clients expecting you to complete various projects for them, as well.

3. Moving from busy to balance is what you have to consider as you look at your working situation. Gaining the understanding of a support group is a first step towards that goal. The support you need the most starts at home. If your family does not quite understand your work day, you might think about holding a family meeting to explain how important it is for you have time set aside for your business. It doesn't matter if you leave the house and work from an office, or if you work from the kitchen table, work is work. Your family wouldn't come to an office outside the home and ask you to do all those miscellaneous tasks; working from home should be no different.

4. You will want to set aside time for your family, just as you would for your clients. Working from home will allow you to have a flexible schedule and that gives you the opportunity to attend school functions and other activities. If you're accustomed to taking a lunch break for work outside of the home, think about this inside of the home with your family. You could take your child to lunch or fix lunch together in the house. But after that you have to get back to work.

5. While it can be easy to procrastinate and not get your work done as a business woman, it can be just as easy to over schedule yourself and spend too much time working. Work quality family time into your schedule and it will be easier to ask family to give you separate time for your work.

6. Never underestimate the drain of starting a new home business. It adds stress and strain to your life as you spend time trying to determine the direction you want to go in with your business as you juggle your additional responsibilities. If you're moving from working outside of the home to your own business, the extra stress can include worrying about creating an income to cover bills as your business grows. All of this will be easier with a support group that is there to get you through the tough beginning stages of working for yourself.

7. Solicit help with your busy life wherever you can find it. If you are single, you might want to do more outsourcing of your chores for the home. Find a service to do the heavy cleaning in your home every few weeks. Know where to purchase healthy meals to take home, other than high-fat fast food.

8. If you have a family, ask your family to help you with the household chores. Set up a schedule where everyone pitches in with various tasks. Depending on the age of your children, they may be able to help with things such as emptying the garbage, vacuuming, doing laundry, preparing their own lunches for school, or even preparing dinner for the family. If you have a spouse, make sure that they are involved, too.

9. If you must work at home with younger children or children that get home from school early, think of hiring a young teenager in the neighborhood to come over and "entertain" your children while you work for a few extra hours. A younger teen without a lot of prior babysitting experience will charge less than an older teen. Since you will be in the house, you can take over in case of an emergency. Your young sitter can play with the kids, read stories to them, or do other activities. This could give you an additional three or four hours of uninterrupted work time.

10. Remember to take care of you as the main person in your business. Running a business is exciting but can also stress you out in unexpected ways. Don't let stress sneak up on you. Instead, plan ahead to give yourself a day off. Some business women take the weekend off, just like in the regular workplace. This allows time for balance in your life. You get rejuvenated and ready to work hard again starting with the new week.

Being a busy business woman is the norm. But you can use these 10 steps to move from being busy to being a balanced woman in business. Balancing work and life will never be easy, but with practice of these tips, it can be done.