My Life & Business Harmony Philosophies
When my son Ryder was born, I knew I needed to find a work life balance that would allow me to run my business efficiently while also having plenty of time to spend with my family. During that journey I made a few mistakes (like hiring too quickly), but eventually fell into a rhythm of ease. Now one of my most important values as a business owner and a design mentor is leading a life of harmony. Here are my top four personal philosophies when it comes to having harmony within your life and business.
1. Let it be easy
It’s so easy to overcomplicate everything as an entrepreneur. There’s always going to be voices out there telling you to do more, to push harder, and to scale larger. I urge you to reflect on your own processes and day-to-day tasks to see where there are ways you can slow down, outsource or add simplicity into your life.
2. If it’s not fun, it won’t get done.
No one starts their business with the hopes of experiencing burnout, anxiety, or dread over their projects. Having fun with the work I do allows me to tap into my highest level of creativity and passion. If I’m not enjoying the process, it’s easy to fall into pushed back timelines and hitting creative blocks.
3. Front load your calendar.
I just finished reading an amazing book called Buy Back Your Time that spoke about this practice I’ve been doing for the past two years. This involves planning all your vacations, trips, launches, and other major life/business events first at the beginning of your year (or sooner) and then planning your work around those events. This is how I’m able to take a full month off each summer and three weeks off at the end of the year, as well as how I started implementing my four-day work week.
4. If you don’t prioritize your time, other people will do it for you.
This philosophy is inspired by another favorite book of mine called Essentialism by Greg McKeown, recommended by my lovely friend and past podcast co-host Giselle Field. I didn’t realize how much saying “yes” (to avoid saying “no”) was costing me in time and productivity until I realized that having no priority structure of my own calendar meant that other people’s priorities would become my own. Now, even my inbox doesn’t act as a to-do list anymore, with everything being carefully filtered through and labeled for response from me or a team member, when it makes sense for us.
I would love to hear your own personal philosophies on this topic! My DMs on Instagram are always open for a chat. This topic is one of my absolute favorites, and is discussed in detail in my design mentorship program, The Design Minimind. If you’re interested in crafting a freedom-filled life with a group of like-minded designers, sign up for the Minimind waitlist here!
