Article written by Eline Van Audenaerde 

 

The #1 reason why women in online business should stop chasing work-life balance, and what to do instead. 

 

There is a lot of pressure on women in business to manage their work-life balance and even improve it. Dividing their most precious resources – their time, energy, focus and attention, equally between work and private life. 

 

For women in online business it’s said to come a little easier since they have freedom of time and location to work whenever they want, wherever. 

 

A pitfall for online women entrepreneurs however is knowing when enough is enough and not working long hours to the point of burning out. And having clear, healthy boundaries around work and life. 

What is work-life balance in online business?

Work-life balance in online business is the (false) notion that there is an equal amount of time spent on work and in your private life. 

 

Even when running an online business – which gives you more time freedom and work mobility, it’s still important to safeguard time and energy spent on work and not pull 12-hour work days. That can be tricky especially if you work from home. 

How does work-life balance affect business?

Many believe that if you have a good work-life balance, that will make you a better entrepreneur, CEO and boss lady. 

 

You’re happier, more energized, motivated and focused. You get more done in less time which makes you productive and efficient.

It goes without saying that these qualities are supportive when it comes to generating results in your online business if you want to make it profitable.

Your wellness being a key piece of your strategy for sustainable success. 

Can women entrepreneurs have work-life balance?

A common question that pops up is if women can have work-life balance, and how to manage or improve work-life balance as a woman in online business. 

 

There is a lot of societal pressure and expectation being put on women to have, be and do it all. 

 

Many women entrepreneurs choose to have an online business because it allows them to be even more flexible with their time and have more freedom to work from anywhere, anytime. But trying to juggle it all and be “perfect” at it, is nearly impossible without feeling pulled in different directions. 

Why women in online business should stop chasing work-life balance.

The answer to that is simple; because balance is an illusion. And there is no such thing as work-life balance.

That would imply that we see those areas as separate from each other.

One of my core beliefs, ever since I was 8 years old, has been that everything is intertwined. Each area of life is interconnected.

 

Everything is a relationship. 

 

What’s thriving or lacking in one area of life, tends to overflow into another.

 

How you do one thing, is how you do everything in life.

 

Think about it.

 

Do you have a tendency to procrastinate in your craft? Then procrastination is surely to show up in another area of your life, like putting off looking at your bank account or paying your bills out of fear of not having enough.

 

Do you show mastery in your romantic relationships? Then chances are you’re good at building and maintaining a professional network of authentic connections too.

 

Would you like to be more consistent in your meditation practice? Look at something you’ve been super consistent at for the past year – a thing you do on autopilot without giving it any thought, and just copy/paste that attitude to your meditation practice.

 

And knowing that every skill in life is transferable, means that when you are confident in one area of life, you can copy/paste that onto another area.

It’s all about living that One Big Live, without feeling pulled in different directions.

Balance is an inner state

Knowing how to show up in each area of your life as ALL of you so that you can live that One Big Life comes from balance as an inner state.

Whilst also knowing that balance is fleeting – there one moment, gone the next.

The more you practice prolonging that state of being, the easier things flow.

You experience more spaciousness, more time freedom and an abundance of energy at your disposal.

You tend to get less overwhelmed when life throws you a curveball.

 

This means it’s not about finding equilibrium between two or more things.

 

Balance is an inner state. You take yourself with you everywhere you go.

 

So create inner peace, calm and stability for your creativity and actions to flow in any and all important areas of your life – including your online business.

 

It’s less about trying to balance the scale and dividing your time and yourself equally between all these life areas, rather, it’s more about giving yourself permission to feel into which area has more priority over another at any given moment in time.

Sometimes, you might want to pour more into your online business. And other times, you might want to focus on your dating life.

There may be times in your life when your partner needs a little extra TLC so you pour more into your romantic relationship. Or, you might want to be out and about with your friends a little more.

It all just depends on what you feel you want. That shifts and changes as you evolve and grow as a human being, and you get to pick and choose what nurtures you so that you can pour more of you into each area of your life that you deem important. And you get to choose what that looks like for you. And you get to change your mind. Never forget that!