Raquel Gomes, Founder & CEO — Stafi.
Many would argue that time is the most valuable asset of a business leader. I would agree with them. It is, after all, the only asset that is finite. We can hire more employees, raise more money and gather more data. But when we get to the end of the day, there is nothing we can do to extend it. Our time is limited.
As a woman in business, I have felt the frustration of working with a limited amount of time. I was told at a young age, “It’s not possible to have everything.” As I became an adult and struggled to be a successful CEO, wife and mom, I often heard these words ringing in my ears.
But, after a lot of trial and error, I found that it was possible. Women can lead successful businesses, spend time with their families and have time for the self-care routines that are important to them. The key to success that I discovered was a mindset in which I acknowledged time as my most valuable asset. To have it all, I needed to value, protect and properly manage my time.
Here are some tips that I have found invaluable in constructing a lifestyle that led to balance, success and fulfillment.
Delegate like a boss.
New research shows that 53% of managers feel burned out at work. While I found that stat discouraging, I didn’t find it surprising. The last couple years have been beyond challenging for business leaders. We have faced a flood of disruptions, from the global pandemic to the shift to remote work to the rise of AI.
If you have begun to think it is impossible to stay on top of everything, you’re right. That is why you need to delegate. Whether it means hiring, outsourcing or simply trusting your people to manage some additional responsibilities, delegating is a step you need to take if you want to find balance.
Delegating is essentially trading up when it comes to your workload. It involves reassigning tasks that someone else can do—like receiving intake calls—so that you can do something more valuable, such as developing a better internal process for training new hires. Hiring a marketing assistant to create your sales materials and monitor your campaigns so that you can participate in school activities with your daughter is a good example of delegating.
I understand that delegating can be scary, especially if you are the founder of a young company. It means giving up control and trusting other people to care as much as you do. But failing to delegate also means severely limiting the success you can have, no matter how talented you are. Take it slow if you need to, but start taking back some of your time today by delegating.
Adopt time blocking.
You have a lot to manage as a business leader, including people, resources and opportunities. I’ve found the biggest management challenge, however, will always be distractions. If you want to take your time back, you will need to find a way to keep distractions from hijacking your day.
Time blocking is a powerful tool for reducing the power of distractions and increasing your productivity. It empowers you to focus on what matters most by establishing a schedule that honors your priorities. Time blocking reduces stress by ensuring you have the time to make progress on your goals.
Increased awareness is another benefit of time blocking. Once you start to set up a schedule, you may find that certain tasks take you longer than you thought. You might also find that you have unrealistic expectations about what you are capable of accomplishing on your own. If that is the case, go back and reread the last section on delegating.
Regularly recharge and reset.
You’ll have days when the job gets the best of you. Distractions and doubts will take over, and you’ll find yourself suddenly out of balance. Don’t let it rattle you. You’ll do better tomorrow.
However, if days that are out of balance turn into weeks that are out of balance, you’ll need to make a focused effort to recharge and reset. I went through a season like that in 2022, when my successful pursuit of big goals at work left me exhausted and unmotivated. I was letting my ego take over and sacrificing things that were precious to me.
When I realized I needed to make a change, I took a trip with my husband and kids to reset. We visited with family in Brazil, where I was reminded that there is much more to life than building a successful business. The time away from work recharged me, giving me what I needed to get back to building the balanced life I wanted for myself.
I know my family member had the best intentions when she told me I couldn’t have it all. But she was wrong. Women can be successful as business leaders, spouses and mothers. The key is committing to a focused, balanced and intentional life.
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