Have you ever felt like you were BUSY all day?

But, when you look back and think, you honestly can’t answer the simple question…

“What the heck did I DO today?”

Hey, I’ve been there!

So I just wanted to chat a bit about creating that work/life balance, which is so important for the small-business entrepreneur.

Let me share this little story with you from the other day…

I was taking my four-year-old son to holiday club, which I do 2 days a week in the holidays.

He was crying and saying that he didn’t want to go, and just wanted to stay with me.

He was sobbing and inconsolable

And my mind was racing…

“Is there something going on? Are you being bullied? Are they mean to you? Is the teacher…?”

But all he would say is…

“I just want to be with you.”

It took me 50 minutes to calm him down, all the while I’m thinking…

“Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?”

I sat there with a heavy heart and started crying after I left him.

I felt numb.

That was all I could think about all day long.

He’s been very attached lately and if you’re a parent, you can probably relate.

Children require and deserve a lot of attention.

This can be hard for entrepreneurs, because we’re so driven—we see something and we go “all in” for it.

However, family comes first.

Which begs the question…

How do you find work/life balance?

The entrepreneurial road is not an easy one.

We need to find balance, or we will live in our business, and never come out of it.

Here’s what I mean….

Often, when I look at what others are doing, sometimes it feels like I should be doing more.

I think, maybe I’m not moving fast enough or doing enough?

Then I start to drive myself into a spiral of feeling overwhelmed.

Or, let’s say I do reach one of my goals, but I don’t allow myself time to celebrate; I’m already moving on to the next goal.

I call it the “what’s next?” syndrome, where even though I’ve been successful, I feel drained.

Being completely transparent…

I’ve been unhappy at times on this entrepreneurial journey.

Because money doesn’t matter most and you have to get your priorities straight.

So…

Are you all over the place or do you have a clear vision?

Sometimes, when we’re starting out as entrepreneurs, we don’t have a plan.

We don’t have goals.

We don’t have a vision.

And we don’t even know sometimes what we’re doing.

We just know that we want “it”…

We see “it”…

And we have hopes, and dreams, and desires.

Do you sometimes think, “What on earth am I doing?”

I know exactly how this feels, because I’ve been there! I too have felt lost and overwhelmed.

And it’s always this constant journey of trying to figure out what works for you, and your family, and your lifestyle.

It’s not going to happen overnight, but I want to give you 5 tips based on what I’ve been working on in my business…

1. Create a rock solid vision

First, you must have a rock-solid vision and a plan to execute it, or you’ll just give up.

I promise you—you will want to throw in the towel.

So you must have a clear plan to execute to feel confident about what you’re doing and when you’re supposed to be doing it.

As you’re creating your vision and your action plan, know what it is you’re working towards in terms of dividing up your time.

I had to go back and create a whole new vision recently.

I’d already created a vision board, and it was stale, so I had to go back and create a whole new vision and get more specific.

My vision board is now fresh and actionable.

That’s the key.

2. Establish a daily action plan

Next, you must create a daily action plan with your top three items so you don’t create more chaos for yourself.

If I’m leaving my son in club crying, it needs to be for something more important than scrolling through Facebook.

I need to make sure I’m getting stuff done that actually matters.

When you have to divide and prioritize your time, it forces you to get laser-focused and attack your daily list of tasks.

Here’s a tip…

Your most important item of the day should be doing something that’s going to produce income.

…whether it’s following-up with leads, following-up with possible prospects, enrolling them into your network marketing business, creating a Facebook ad, creating a custom audience list, etc.

Importantly…

You have to know people’s pain points and WHO you’re speaking to, so you know how to create your content.

Maybe it’s your latest blog post or Facebook Live.

Or maybe it’s creating your first amazing webinar.

Whatever it is that’s going to help you produce income, that’s where you direct your focus.

Not scrolling through Facebook, not learning how to use Snapchat, not getting hung up on reading a million emails, and following 500 people.

Focus on what you need to DO and get it DONE.

3. Eliminate distractions

Next you need to set timers, put your phone on “Do not disturb” mode, and close all unnecessary browser windows.

Every day, I put my phone on “Do not disturb” mode for at least two to three hours.

It is amazing how much more I accomplish now that my phone isn’t buzzing every two seconds.

Also, set a timer so you know you’re not going to check messages for two full hours.

Then dedicate a half-hour to one hour to checking messages.

Then get back to it.

This, as simple as it sounds, has been extremely helpful in my business for being more productive and finding balance.

4. Stop judging yourself

Do you ever beat yourself up for not doing enough?

This might sound trivial, but you’ve got to stop judging yourself!

I wake up sometimes feeling like…

“I have to do this. I have to do that.”

Stop!

You must focus at that moment in that time.

I allow myself to have my mornings with my kids.

If you don’t have children, allow yourself to spend your morning doing something for you.

Read a book or go to the gym.

Whatever it is, schedule it!

The start of your day creates your day, so if the start of your day is pure craziness, it’s probably going to be crazy the rest of the day.

I consciously make an effort not to look at my phone before 9:30am, because I know I’m busy with my kids.

If I’m looking at my phone, they will see me looking at my phone.

That’s going to trip me up, and hold me back, so I’m going to lose time, which isn’t productive.

So plan your mornings and don’t add stress to your life.

Give yourself a schedule.

Messages and emails will be there later.

I know they’re going to pile up and it’s going to be more work, but it’s worth it.

Look into creating a support system if you can.

​5. Be patient

Finally, you need to be patient.

Now, truth be told, I really hate this statement, because it’s easier said than done, but it’s so crucial for your business.

Your business is ALWAYS a work in progress.

You’re not going to learn everything there is to know about Facebook ads, custom audiences, and sales funnels in a day.

This is an on-going, test-and-tweak process, not an overnight journey.

We are constantly testing and tweaking.

It never ends, so you must be patient, and kind to yourself through this process.

Be conscious of what you’re working towards.

Also, be conscious of what is working for you and what isn’t working for you.

And whatever isn’t working, dump it.

You must commit to the process.

Learn it, implement it, and repeat it.

It’s not a sprint.

So please, give yourself some credit and start creating your own master plan.

Sometimes, taking a step back gives you the needed vision and clarity to be effective.

It’s so important to see the big picture.

Now, here’s my best tactical tip…

Every day I get dozens of messages because I use both passive attraction & active prospecting on social media, where I create curiosity on my page and follow-up using 3-way Messenger chats.

In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that…

My number one, go-to tool to take control of your time is Facebook Messenger

Messenger is a powerful, low-resistance, rejection-free alternative to traditional 3-way calls and has been key to my success.

So if you need any help prospecting on social media, then you might like a tool that I use, created by a colleague of mine Julie Burke, which is designed to help out other network marketers who need to sponsor a LOT more people.

They are 3-Way Facebook Messenger Recruiting Scripts, which are 100% free.

You can “copy and paste” these PROVEN scripts to quickly enroll 10-15 new team members each week.

…all without being “spammy,” without vomiting on people, and without sounding like an infomercial.

You’ll discover the exact method that Julie used to personally sponsor 270+ people and grow a team of 8,300, all from the comfort of my home, in just 3 years.

In fact…

These strategies create such explosive duplication, that for every person sponsored, the team would grow by an average of 30 people in depth each time.

Ready to learn more?

Then make sure you click here and grab your free copy today!

Cheers to your success!

Emma Johnson

Entrepreneur and Supermum