Reimagining Balance and How You Structure Your Work Week

How do you approach balance in your business?

As I was getting ready for a trip to Arizona and I was preparing to be off the grid for a week and putting in some extra hours so I could fully check out and be present in the moment while I am away, it got me thinking about the different ways that my clients approach "balance" (or insert your word of choice ;D).

I think there is often this misperception that balance is only achieved if you spend a set number of hours in your business (40 or less typically), stop working at a specific time, or structure your days in a certain way.

And while that is true for some people, everyone has their own unique approach to balance that works for them. There are 3 categories I see with my clients most often.

They either strive for:

• Consistent Balance
• Batched Balance
• Flow-Based Balance

Or they end up:

• Out of Balance

Let’s break each one down.

1️⃣ Consistent Balance

Some of my clients strive for consistency and structure in their work week balanced with consistent time dedicated to family, friends, fun, self-care, etc.

This looks like having set times that are work times and non-work times, such as only working between 9-3 and then "signing off" for the day.

They tend to leverage time blocks and have firm boundaries. While every week isn’t perfect, they like having structure and aim for as much consistency as possible.

2️⃣ Batched Balance

For others, it’s working as much as they want for a period of time and then taking bigger blocks of time off work, like taking a vacation and going off the grid.

They batch their work time and may work a lot when they’re working, especially if they are heads down on an exciting new business idea or project, but then they batch vacation or non-work time and give themselves the space to recharge.

They prefer to do things in blocks and go all in on whatever they are focused on when they are doing it - whether it's going all in on their business or going all in on something in their personal life.

3️⃣ Flow-Based Balance

Others rely heavily on their intuition and go with the flow of what they feel their business needs and what they need.

They prioritize meeting their client commitments, but then remain flexible in when and how they work and enjoy time for themselves.

This means that every day looks a bit different but they enjoy that fluidity and the ability to work on what they want when they feel most inspired to.

Which of the 3 do you align with most?

I align mostly with 2 but can gravitate towards 1 or 3 during different times in my business.

There is no right or wrong, or one way that's better than another - the key is understanding how you work best and setting up your ecosystem for success to support it instead of trying to force yourself into a structure that doesn't work for you.

The way you do your planning in your business, the way you approach your schedule and your time, and the way you leverage your team can be different for each type.

If you are a flow-based person, the set structure and consistency of #1 would make you feel constrained, whereas if you love structure and predictability, not knowing what you will be focused on day to day would make you feel anxious.

In each case, you'd feel out of balance and you want to avoid being out of balance.

So what do you do if you feel out of balance?

So many of my new clients come to me in a state of being out of balance. They are frequently working too much without enough space for themselves and have trouble checking out and not thinking about work when they aren't working. They frequently have a business model or schedule that isn't aligned with how they work best and what they uniquely need for balance.

Here is what we do together that you can do if you feel out of balance...

Our 1st priority is to lean things out and create the space to get them out of overwork and overwhelm while helping them discover which type of balance is most in alignment for them. Then we build their schedule and strategic planning approach around it so they have the ecosystem they need for success going forward.

I'd love to hear which of the 3 you most align with. Share below.

Take things further:

• Ready to simplify and scale your business so you can achieve the next level without the constant hustle, overwork, and overwhelm?  Schedule a complimentary scaling strategy call to see how we can best support you.