You see, I’ve been there; when I started up in my online business venture 3 years ago, I work 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. I learned, then practice what I learned, and refine things along the way; repeat and rinse.
I worked so hard in achieving my goals, mainly to live 100% off online income. I did reach that goal, but that is not without sacrifices; I wish I could do things better, but that’s life – we make mistakes, pick up the pieces and move on.
What mistakes? Well, at that time, I’ve got to chase “the carrots” – we were in deep personal finance trouble as my 2 business service shops were starting to tumble down entering the most recent great recession. I finally lost both, and I need to work even harder to achieve my goal; 24 hours a day seem not enough.
As a born again Christian, my biggest mistake was not letting God involved in my plan. I knew what I should do, but I was too anxious in getting things work; in urgency, I seek and seek for ways to make a living off online business ventures.
Like I mentioned above, I did reached my first goal. But it’s costly: I was experiencing sleep deprivation. I hate to admit it, but I turned myself into a workaholic.
God’s principles of work-life balance
I wish I read the Bible more for answers… just like these verses that teach us the principle of work-life balance:
“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” – Psalm 127:1-2 (New Living Translation)
Those verses remind us to set our priorities right, to pursue work-life balance and not to become a workaholic. Many have achieved success, but at the expense of their personal well-being – and their loved ones.
Some entrepreneurs experience divorce after they are successful – why? Because their success comes at the expense of their family; they pursue entrepreneurial success in such a way that they forget to grow their relationship with their spouses and children.
Some successful entrepreneurs fall deep into depression and other illness – why? Because they did not rest; they didn’t give time for themselves to recharge their physical and mental energy; and most importantly, they rely too much on their own strengths and didn’t involve God in their entrepreneurial journey.
Some entrepreneurs have reached success and achieved what they’ve dreamed on but they have become greedy and can’t find a way to stop – why? Because they are addicted to their own success and think that their success is because of their own effort, not God’s blessings.
All examples lead to one conclusion: Trust your business and life to God and pursue work-life balance.
Tips on achieving better work-life balance
You see, you need to learn on how to achieve a better work-life balance. Or else, your entrepreneurial success is in useless (for example, if you were sick, how to enjoy your success?) Here are some tips on achieving work-life balance according to God’s principles:
1. Rest
Rest means give yourself a break – you need to get your sleep, but it doesn’t necessarily mean just that; you need to do things that will help you recharge: Going to the church, socialising with friends and family, etc.
2. Involve God in your work and life plans
Trusting God to do His part while doing your part the best you can is the way to go. Success in life and business is practically useless without God. You can lost your money and business anytime (remember the Japan earthquakes?) – so trust your business and life to God and He will take a good care of you.
3. Implement the 80/20 rules
Pareto’s Law offers us a tool to better manage our time. Pareto’s Law or the 80/20 rules can help us identify the things we need to prioritise in business and life; the 80 percent of our activities that only yield 20 percent results should be eliminated. Continuously analysing your activities using the 80/20 rules will help you to achieve better work-life balance.
Your life is more than just working and working…
Hard working entrepreneurs impact their business and community well; they are leaders by example. However, you can inspire others by working smart and live a happy life, in such a way that when people see you, they can learn what God has given you.
Ivan Widjaya
God’s principles of Work-life balance