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#32: Harmony Not Hustle: Mastering Work-Life Balance as a Female Entrepreneur

Samantha Bell
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Navigate work-life balance with ease

Are you dancing to the tune of your business, or is it outpacing you? If you've ever felt the rhythm of work-life could use a little more harmony and a little less hustle, the latest episode of the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Podcast is your next must-listen!

Harmony Not Hustle: Mastering Work-Life Balance As A Female Entrepreneur

In a world that glorifies the grind, it's time to slow down and sync up with what truly matters. Success isn't just measured by the scale of your business but also by the richness of your livfe.

This episode peels back the layers of work-life balance myths and lays out a blueprint for:

🛑 Setting non-negotiable boundaries without compromise.

⏱ Mastering time with top productivity hacks.

💡 Creative leisure activities that fuel business innovation.

🧘‍♀️ Strategies for mental resilience to sharpen your leadership edge.

Get ready to transform how you think about your day, your business, and your well-being with strategies you can start today.

Don't let another day slip by caught in hustle-mode!

Tune in now and step into the life you deserve – one where your business thrives and your personal life sings just as sweetly.

(full transcription below)

Main Points

0:00 Reimagining Work-Life Balance

3:28 Unpacking Work-Life Balance Myths

4:57 Boundaries: The Non-Negotiables

8:50 Time-Saving Techniques That Work

15:19 The Healthy CEO Lifestyle

18:37 Creativity Through Leisure

20:26 Nurturing the CEO Mind

25:25 The 6 Principles to Building Your Dream Business

Do you have BIG Dreams?

Download the
Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook
and start designing the business and life you deserve today!

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If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to hit that subscribe button wherever you listen to the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life podcast and be sure to share it with someone else who may also find it helpful and inspiring.

Plus, I’d be forever grateful if you left me a review. I read each and every one and love hearing from you.

Thank you so much for being here! I look forward to seeing you for the next episode.

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The Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Podcast is dedicated to you - because you deserve the business – and life -
of your dreams!

PS. Download the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook and start designing the business and life you deserve today!

LISTEN + SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS + SPOTIFY

Hi, I’m Samantha Bell

I’m all about helping you build the business – and life – you’ve always wanted.

Listen in for the simple, actionable strategies, mindset shifts, and practices you need to make your business thrive. Plus, a healthy dose of self-care, health, and wellness so you can live the life you absolutely adore while building your beautiful business.

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Transcription

00:00

Are you ready to redefine what work-life balance means for you? In this week's episode of the Brilliant Business, Beautiful Life podcast, we're unraveling the myths and sharing the secret source to thriving in both your personal and professional worlds. So, you can say goodbye to hustle and hello to harmony. So, keep listening if you want to discover how to transform your work weeks from chaotic to calm. Don't just dream of balance. Make it your reality. Welcome to the Brilliant Business, beautiful Life podcast, where we share simple, actionable strategies plus the mindset and wellness practices you need to build the business and life you love. Head to 16thavcreativecom forward slash playbook and download your free guide to design the business and life you deserve. Today I'm your host, Samantha Bell, and this is the Brilliant Business, Beautiful Life podcast. Are you ready for the business and life of your dreams? Let's get started.

01:06

Not too long ago, I met a wonderful female entrepreneur I'm going to call her Lucy for the purposes of the podcast and Lucy ran a thriving boutique design firm, and it was her dream job that had blossomed out of a weekend passion project into her full-time business. But like for so many other entrepreneurs, as her business grow, so did the hours that she poured into it. Her weekends were just swallowed up by work and her evenings were just extensions of her office hours, and she said to me that she could not remember the last time that she had read her kids a bedtime story. And that was her tipping point, as it is for so many of us, when we think is this worth it? Something must change Now. Lucy's struggle isn't unique, but it is really common among female entrepreneurs like us, who are really determined in our pursuit of having a business that not only succeeds but shines, all while nurturing a deep need for a personal life that's just as fun and exciting.

02:18

In this episode, we're chatting about that delicate work-life balance, about finding harmony, removing the hustle, and about structuring your business in a way that doesn't just allow but ensures that you do have time for life's precious moments, for all those bedtime stories, impromptu coffee dates with friends or simply taking a quiet moment for yourself. So, whether you're listening from your office, if you're out on a run or while unwinding after a long day, let's move towards a more balanced and beautiful life. So, we're going to start with unpacking some work-life balance myths. It's really easy to believe that balance means doing everything perfectly, but we need to shift that perspective. We've all heard that to be truly successful, we need to have our lives and businesses in perfect equilibrium, that all the ducks need to be in a neat little row. But the truth is that this way of thinking is not only unrealistic, it's very harmful.

03:28 - Unpacking Work-Life Balance Myths

So many brilliant women out there are pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion by trying to tick every box and doing everything impeccably. They're striving for that flawless execution of every task, for the unattainable perfectionism both at work and at home. And what's the result of that? Burnout? Productivity plummets, health takes a backseat and the spark that they once had begins to dim. So, it's really important to redefine balance.

04:04

Balance is not about perfection. It's about harmony and saying, hey, I'm doing my best and that is more than enough. Getting that magical balance simply means prioritizing and recognizing that some days, your business will need to take some stage and on others, your personal life will need that spotlight. So, it's about integrating those spheres into a way that co-exist in a harmonious, healthy way, and giving yourself grace to focus on what's really important isn't just okay, it's absolutely essential. Now, true balance is harmonious. It's giving yourself permission to focus on what matters in your business and your personal life, because they both are very important.

04:57 - Boundaries: The Non-Negotiables

Now the one thing to achieve that that is non-negotiable is having boundaries. And one thing I noticed with many female entrepreneurs is how really uncomfortable they are around setting boundaries, because for many women, it makes them feel bossy, makes them feel too rigid or unapproachable, which is very uncomfortable for their beautiful giving hearts. But setting boundaries is crucial for every entrepreneur and are one of the many keys to your success. Now I understand that creating boundaries can be a bit tricky to put into place and to keep, but they really are vital because they're the silent protectors of your time and your energy. They are like your personal police that say this is how I will be treated; this is what I will accept, and this is where I draw the line. So how do you establish all those boundaries without ruffling too many feathers?

06:03

You start with becoming self-aware. You've got to identify what you value most, what's important to you personally, what's important to you in your business life, and what you need to achieve those. What can't you afford to compromise on? It could be things like making sure that after 6pm, that time is reserved for you and your family, or maybe it's your time to meditate in the morning. Maybe it is including uninterrupted focus time on your business, where you don't take calls, no one interrupts, no one knocks on the door, you're not answering emails, you're not checking social media, you're just focusing on the task at hand for moving your business forward. So have a think about those things and, once you've pinpointed what's essential, you need to communicate them clearly and confidently, not just to others but to yourself, and then put them into practice. Do things like setting an autoresponder to manage email expectations for people sending you emails. Have honest conversations with clients about your working hours. Have a conversation with your family about this is my business. This is really important. So, between these hours I'm not contactable, unless it's an emergency, unless the house is on virus, someone's bleeding to death.

07:31

Having this clarity is being kind to yourself and kind to others, so you can see that boundaries can be very helpful and they're not making you bossy. They're just putting guidelines in place to make sure you can manage your time effectively. And don't forget about the power of no. No is a complete sentence. Saying no is really important every day, and it's not just about protecting your current priorities and what you need to do. It's actually opening the door to being able to say yes to what you truly want to do or what truly matters to you in your personal life and your business life. So that could be more time for your health, more time for your loved ones, and more time for those things in your business that light you up for all the new things you want to introduce and creative thought processes that require some dedicated time. Boundaries aren't barriers. They are bridges to creating a fulfilling life and a more focused business. They define what's non-negotiable for you and your well-being, so they're very healthy.

08:50 - Time-Saving Techniques That Work

The next thing that you probably should consider is introducing some time-saving techniques that work in your day, because we all wish that there were more hours in the day, don't we? But that's not possible, so we don't have that option. So, what we've got to do is make the most of the time that we do have so you can spend more time getting things done and enjoying what you love.

And here are five of my favourite time management techniques that are absolute gold for efficiency.

Technique 1: Task Batching 

The first is task batching. It's just tackling tasks in bundles of things that are similar in nature. So, if you need to do videos for your social media, for your past, for your YouTube channel, any sort of video, you would do them all in one batch. If you need to create some content, whether that's social media, your blog, your podcast scripts, emails, anything where you're writing, do that all together. So, you can see that by grouping these things together you can create lots of efficiencies in your workflow and, instead of jumping between different tasks and wasting time, you can have really focused efforts. Because when you change tasks, the statistics say it takes you physically and mentally, 20 minutes to switch between tasks. So, going from writing to filming or creating graphics, you'll spend 20 minutes moving between tasks. So, if you're skipping between three tasks, you've wasted an hour. So, group them all together, batch them in bundles and watch your productivity soar, just like a cook or a chef prepares all the ingredients and preps things out before starting to cook. That's what you're doing there, by task batching.

10:47

Technique 2: Prioritisation

The second thing is prioritisation, because not all the things you have to do in your business are critical. Identify what is critical, what must be done first, and do them first, and that way you are doing your quality things and making sure those big, important things are done first and never get missed, and that way you're going to save yourself a whole lot of time. 

Technique 3: Time Blocking

The next thing is time blocking, and this is where task batching can be used in its most effective way by time blocking and where you carve out specific times in your schedule for different categories of work. You created your task batching and now you plot them on your calendar into time blocks and it could be client work or creative thinking or your administrative task. Allocate a block of time, protect it fiercely, and it’s sort of like setting a meeting with yourself that you can't afford to miss.

11:47

For example, my calendar I have non-negotiable days where I just do client work and on those days that's where I take meetings. I do my Zoom calls, I do my discovery calls, my client catch up calls, plus all of the client work. That's on those days. Then I have a creative day where I am just doing all the creative tasks, like my planning, my writing, creating content. All of those tasks are done on a particular day. I don't take any calls on those days. It's purely for content creation. And then I have one day a week where it is just the CEO tasks, the admin, the hire thinking, all those big, broad tasks that need deep thought. They're done on a different day and, again no calls on those days, no content creation those days. It's just those high-level CEO tasks Works like a treat and you get so much more done if you do time blocking, automation, and delegation.

12:49

Technique 4: Automation and Delegation

Your time is a premium and it shouldn't be spent on tasks that can be done by software or by someone else. So, automate using tech tools and delegate what you can't automate. So, remember you are the visionary, you're the CEO in your business, so your focus should be on the big picture task, the big picture view that is, driving the business forward and making the business money, not all of the tasks that keep the wheels turning. I heavily use automation in my business. Whatever I can automate is automated with a tech tool, and what I can't automate, wherever possible, I get my wonderful VA to do for me. She is a godsend. I have a sauna board set up for her and a list of tasks and processes that I just put in there and she just gets to work, gets them done, and it's like having a little magic angel in my business. It's amazing. So, using tech and VA is truly one of the best uses of your time for freeing up time and allowing you to really drive your business forward.

14:04

Technique 5: The Two-Minute Rule

The last thing is the two-minute rule. Now, this is really simple, but it transforms your business. It is this simple If something takes you less than two minutes to do, do it. Don't wait, just do it. It's a fantastic way of keeping your to-do list really clear and get all those niggling little tasks out of the way, because if you don't, they accumulate into this big, massive pile and your to-do list gets quite daunting. For 10 minutes every morning. Do the two-minute rule and you will have five things off your list in 10 minutes. It really does change the game. Things like if you've had a text message from a client, you've got a really quick email response to do to a client, you've got something that just needs a quick eye over for your VA. All those little things. Batch them for 10 minutes every morning. Get them out of the way and they're done. It's fantastic. So, if you do these things, you'll be able to help us craft a day that's really productive and leaves you lots of space for what truly lights up your soul, so that you can achieve things for your business and for yourself personally.

15:19 - The Healthy CEO Lifestyle

Really important to focus on is a healthy CEO lifestyle because the health of your business reflects your health, so maintaining a healthy lifestyle that focuses on harmony, not hustle, is critical for a healthy business, and here are some really smart but simple ways to blend some healthy habits into your everyday.

Tip 1: The Power of Mini Workouts

Mini workouts. Workouts don't need to be long; they just need to be effective. So, mix up your day with quick 10-minute exercise bursts. It could be a brisk walk, a series of squats or lunges as you're walking down the hallway to go to the bathroom. It could be a dance to your favourite tunes to break up the day, and these short sessions throughout the day can really add up to big health benefits long term, and they also re-energize and revitalize you throughout the day.  

16:14

Tip 2: Smart Snacking 

Number two would be smart snacking. Have lots of healthy snacks within arm’s reach, so I think when you're hungry or you're getting a bit of brain fog, you can just fuel your brain and body with food that powers both that's healthy, that's low in fat, that's high in nutrition and that's going to keep you going Things like nuts, fruit, yogurt, hummus, all those great things. Keep them handy and your body and brain will thank you.

16:47

Tip 3: Hydration Hacks

Keep hydrated. Hydration is key, so just make it a ritual.

Start every day with a big glass of water. Keep a bottle of water by your side. If plain water doesn't excite, you add in some orange or lemon slices or cucumber or some mint whatever you like to give it a lovely twist. I've got this great insulated water bottle. You can have tea or coffee in it even, but I love to fill it up every morning with some ice-cold water and sip on it through the day, and it's wonderful. I drink a whole lot more water whenever I get thirsty. Just sip away and it's great. Keeps the mind fresh too.

17:22

Tip 4: Meal Prep Mastery

Another great, great tip is prepping your meals. If you set aside some time every Sunday to dedicate a few hours to preparing wholesome meals that align with your health goals, you will thank yourself all week. This way, you bypass temptation of takeaways and eating unhealthily, and you know having the weight creep. None of that happens because you've got everything sorted. You know exactly what you're doing and you're not rushing at the last minute trying to find something healthy to eat for dinner.

Tip 5: Schedule Your Fitness

Schedule in your fitness, just like you schedule meetings and calls. Book out your workout time, treat it like a non-negotiable appointment and put it in the diary, and by doing that, you're committing to your health, which is as important as any business engagement. Now, all these things aren't about finding extra time. They're about creating daily practices which become a fabric of your daily life. When fitness and nutrition are as habitual as checking your emails or strolling through socials, you are on track not just for a healthy body, but a healthy business too.

18:37 - Creativity Through Leisure

It's really easy to forget the important role that leisure and play have in sparking our most innovative ideas as the CEOs of our businesses. Enjoying a regular downtime isn't just about taking a break. It's about recharging your creative batteries and indulging in activities you love can be the secret ingredient to innovating your whole business. For example, consider the simple act of gardening. Gardening is a lesson in both patience and growth, qualities that are both essential to nurturing your business. Or painting, where the blending of colours can inspire the way, you blend your services in your business portfolio. Or have you ever tried pottery? It's so much fun that tactile experience of shaping clay can translate into the way you mould your business strategies.

19:35

And then there's yoga. Not only does it provide a mental reset, but the practice of flexibility and strength on the mat can lead to a more resilient and adaptable business model. Even a culinary adventure in your very own kitchen can be enlightening. Experimenting with recipes teaches you about risk and improvisation, and it stirs up creativity that you can then take back to your business. Each of these activities is more than just an enjoyable pastime. They're a playground for an entrepreneurial mind because they help you to step back and view challenges from different angles, and they help you return to work equipped with a refreshed mind and a bundle of fresh new ideas.  

20:26 - Nurturing the CEO Mind

And talking about mindset, it's really important to nurture the CEO mind. The strength of your business is actually a reflection of your mental and emotional agility. As CEOs of our businesses, our ability to lead with clarity, to strategize effectively and to keep innovating all depend on how well we nurture our minds. So, I want to walk you through some powerful strategies that can enhance your ability to lead with insight and creativity.

Strategy 1: Mindfulness Meditation

The first is mindfulness meditation Common to some, not to others. So just begin your day by being mindful. It doesn't have to be a seated meditation. It can just be taking a beautiful walk outside and being mindful, where every step rounds you into the present and it prepares your mind for all the strategic decisions you'll need to make in the day ahead.

21:28

Strategy 2: Creative Unwinding 

Creative unwinding replace traditional downtime with creative unwinding, and that could mean if you're musical, playing an instrument, playing the guitar, playing the piano, playing the drums, whatever instrument you play, writing, do some free writing creative writing, not business writing, nothing related to the business, creative writing or any other creative outlet that allows your subconscious thoughts to surface, because when you do that, it can bring solutions and innovations that you've been searching for but have been unable to find. You're actually freeing up that part of your brain to do that with no pressure. You'll be surprised at how powerful that is.

Strategy 3: Social Sabbaticals

One of my favourite strategies I like to call social sabbaticals. Taking a social sabbatical is simply disconnecting from all the digital chatter of social media, temporarily stepping back from social media, from networking, from all that noise, and clear your mind and allow you to reconnect with your own voice and your own vision, which quite often get drowned out by everyone else's opinions and all the things you see on social media that you should be doing or this person's doing. Why am I doing that, which confuses your brain? So just give it a rest. Take a social sabbatical and you'll be amazed at how powerful that is for your CEO mind.

23:04

Strategy 4: Nature Immersion

The next thing is immersing yourself in nature. Regularly immerse yourself in nature. Studying show that times spent in green spaces dramatically reduce stress and enhance creative problem-solving abilities. So, it can be as simple as going for a walk in the park, spending time in your garden, whatever it is. Let nature be your muse. Listen to the birds, feel the sun on your skin, feel the breeze swim in the ocean, hear the waves, feel the sand under your feet or the grass under your feet, whatever it is, get into nature and allow that to speak to you. Just don't overthink it. Just get into it and do it and just enjoy. Feel the experiences without thinking. That is so powerful, so powerful.

23:59

Strategy 5: Cognitive Diversity

The last strategy for your CEO mindset that I want to talk about today is cognitive diversity, and that is engaging with ideas that are outside of your field of expertise. Cognitive diversity is exposing yourself to different perspectives, different disciplines, and that can really dramatically enhance your leadership and innovative thoughts. It could be something like attending a lecture on art history, reading about quantum physics, exploring a new culture, learning a new language, attending an art gallery, or just reading a different type of book than you normally read, going into a different genre, learning about a different business model, anything that is outside of your realm of expertise. This is all rewiring your brain, getting different neural pathways sparking, encouraging your brain to think broader, more expansively, and then you'll bring new concepts and ideas back to your own business. It's very powerful. If you weave all of these strategies into your life, you will find that your mental and emotional resilience strengthens, and your leadership becomes more impactful, and your innovations take on new depth.

 25:25 - The 6 Principles to Building Your Dream Business

To help you deepen your journey to having that balance, fulfilling entrepreneurial life, I've created the Brilliant Business, beautiful Life Playbook, which has six simple principles to help you focus on all those things that actually matter. So, download that today it's at 16thavecreative.com/playbook and that will help you focus on things that are really going to help you move the needle forward and take care of your body, mind, and soul, as well as your business. So that's the end of today's episode. Just like that, we're at the end of our time together today. Thank you for having me in your world.

26:07

I hope that these strategies we've explored today can help light a path for you to a place where harmony in work and life isn't just a dream but is your reality, and that you can kiss the hustle mentality goodbye, where your well-being and your business can blossom together. So please take a moment to reflect on the beauty of balance. It's not just something you do; it should be your way of life. Now, remember to be brilliant, stay beautiful, and I'll see you next week. Thanks so much for listening. I'd love to know your biggest takeaway from today's episode, so leave me a comment below or send a DM on Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button wherever you listen to the Brilliant Business, Beautiful Life podcast, and feel free to share it with someone else who'll love it too. I look forward to seeing you for the next episode and remember the time is now for your Brilliant Business and the beautiful life you adore.