As a speech pathology business owner, finding the elusive balance between work and personal life can feel like a never-ending struggle. You’re passionate about your allied health business, driven to see it succeed, but at the same time, you want to enjoy the fruits of your labour and spend quality time with your loved ones. The pressure to be “always on” can lead to burnout, strained relationships, and even a decline in business performance. In this blog, we’ll explore practical strategies to help you achieve a healthy work-life balance without compromising the growth and success of your business.
Practical Tips for Work-Life Balance
Prioritise Your Time
Business owners can start achieving work-life balance by identifying your top personal priorities. As speech pathologists, we are very skilled at identifying priorities in business. However, when we focus on our personal priorities, we shift our focus back to what is really important. Make a list of what truly matters to you and allocate your time accordingly. This might mean delegating business tasks that don’t require your direct involvement or cutting back on activities that drain your energy without adding significant value. Prioritising your time helps you focus on what’s most important, allowing you to build a healthy work-life balance.
Set Boundaries
Many business owners struggle with work-life balance because they struggle with maintaining boundaries. Establish clear boundaries between work and personal time. This is more than just leaving your laptop at work on weekends. I encourage you to communicate with your team (and clients if you are still treating) specific work hours that you can be contacted. Of course, you state you are available for emergencies and ensure you provide examples of emergencies. This is because what you consider urgent and a high priority will often be different from what your team perceives as urgent and a high priority. Outside of these set contactable times, turn off notifications to Messenger, Slack, and emails. In addition, designate certain areas of your home as work-free zones and ask your loved ones to keep you accountable. By creating physical and mental separation between work and personal life, you can be more present in both areas. Setting boundaries is essential for maintaining a work-life balance that doesn’t leave you feeling constantly stretched.
Delegate and Outsource
Don’t try to do everything yourself. Often speech pathology business owners assume the best way to free up their time is to hire more clinical team. In fact, clinical team members often require more time from you for activities such as onboarding, clinical supervision, performance reviews etc. Consider delegating administration tasks to your team or outsourcing certain aspects of your business, such as bookkeeping or marketing. This is often a great way to free up valuable time. This also allows you to focus on higher-level strategic decisions and spend more time on personal pursuits. Effective delegation is a key strategy in achieving work-life balance while ensuring your business continues to thrive.
Schedule Downtime
Just as you schedule meetings and deadlines, make it a habit to schedule downtime. I mean, you need to literally create this as an appointment in your work schedule system. One of my favourite work days was when my husband insisted our Support Services Officer scheduled an ongoing appointment every Wednesday at lunchtime for a lunch date. Because I refer to my schedule frequently during the day, I never cancel this date. Whether it’s time with family, a hobby, or simply relaxing, having dedicated time for non-work activities helps recharge your batteries. Scheduling downtime ensures that you regularly step away from work, which is crucial for maintaining long-term productivity and a balanced life.
Practice Self-Care
Taking care of yourself is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Regular exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient sleep are all critical components of self-care that contribute to your overall well-being. Personally, I prioritise mindfulness practices, such as meditation and QiGong. I find these are great ways to help manage stress and maintain a positive mindset. Prioritising self-care is vital for business owners to sustain the energy and focus needed to balance work and life effectively.
Client Success Story
Meet Emily, a dedicated speech pathology practice owner who, like many others, struggled to maintain a work-life balance. Emily was passionate about growing her business, but the constant demands of managing her practice left her feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Her personal life was taking a backseat, and she knew something had to change.
Emily decided to take a step back and reassess her priorities. She worked with me to start setting clear boundaries between work and home life, ensuring that she was fully present during family time. Emily also delegated more tasks to her team, trusting them to handle day-to-day operations while she focused on strategic growth. Most importantly, she scheduled regular self-care activities, including yoga and a weekend getaway with her husband each term. These activities really helped her to recharge her energy.
The results were transformative. Emily found that by taking care of herself and setting boundaries, she was not only happier and more fulfilled in her personal life, but she was also more effective as a business owner. The challenges of being a business owner didn’t change but her ability to address them did.
Achieving work-life balance for business owners is challenging but entirely possible with the right strategies. By prioritising your time, setting boundaries, delegating tasks, scheduling downtime, and practicing self-care, you can create a fulfilling life where both your business and personal well-being thrive.
If you want coaching and accountability to help build the business you need to create the lifestyle you want, book in for a free 15min chat or jump straight into an adhoc coaching session with me.
