We’ve all heard of this term, but what does it actually mean? Work/Life balance refers to these two very important parts of our life working together in a cohesive and balanced way. When it’s done right, it means that we can finally be fully present in work and at home without feeling guilty or constantly thinking about the other place. Our clients deserve to get the best version of us and so does our family and friends, that’s why it’s SO important to put things in place for this balance to work.

Did you know work place stress is estimated to be the fifth biggest cause of death!? We spend so much of our lives at work so if it’s the biggest cause of stress that can be so difficult, how do you expect to enjoy life if you’re burnt out, stressed and exhausted all the time? You can’t, so if any of this is resonating with you, things need to change.

Keep reading if you’re looking to live your work life AND personal life to the absolute fullest!

With hustle culture becoming the norm for our industry, you have probably felt pressured to work 40+ hours a week, take any and all clients whenever they want in, not sticking to a set schedule, work after business hours, etc. We’re trained to keep clients happy even if they’re affecting you mentally, just so that you can make money and be “successful.” But this doesn’t have to be the case. You can most definitely still have work/life balance and still be successful as long as you make it a priority.

I’m going to talk about a few systems I put in place that helped me find this balance and I hope it can do the same for you!

BOUNDARIES

Boundaries are necessary in all relationships – in life and in business. They’re not meant for just saying “no” to things or being strict rules, they are set to show how the relationship will work for both people in a healthy way. Remember this – A boundary is not keeping you away from something, it keeps out what is not aligned with you. These boundaries need to be intentional and well thought through. They should be set up from the very start of the relationship, clearly communicated and consistent. Boundaries will be different for everyone. Here are a few examples I have implemented, Having a booking system and not giving out your personal phone number to clients, maintaining professional conversation with clients, only working during business hours, don’t feel inclined to take a client if they’re simply just not a good fit for you and your business, have set prices not open for negotiation, etc.

It might be difficult to put these boundaries in place at first but the right clients that align with you will 1000% respect them and respect the way you do business. Whoever doesn’t respect them and pushes against these were the ones benefiting from you not having boundaries in the first place, so you know they may not be the right fit for your business.

POLICIES

Policies are a little like boundaries but policies are more pertaining to just your business and are usually stated in some type of form, signed and agreed to by your clients. It clearly and directly sets up what is expected of your client and what is expected of the service provider to set clear expectations for how you run your business. When policies are not respected or broken, consequences may incur.

Some examples of policies I’ve put in place for my business are : My clients come into their appointments with clean lashes and if not they will need to clean their lashes before we begin resulting in less lashing time, I require 24hr notice when cancelling or rescheduling and if not a fee will be applied, After Hours fee, etc. There’s no question, you need to have policies in place in order for your business to be successful.

MINDSET

When I started to shift my mindset that’s when things around me started to shift too. I didn’t always believe in affirmations, meditation, positive self talk. I couldn’t understand how just words could have a direct affect on my actions and now I couldn’t imagine life without constantly focusing on having a positive mindset.

This had such amazing effects on my business as well. Once I did inner work and became the happiest form of myself, then I started to only attract my perfect ideal clientele and be actually happy to go to work everyday. At the beginning of my lash career, I also found myself in extremely toxic work environments where everyone around me was stressed and unhappy in their personal life, worked nonstop and projected it onto each other, not to mention threatened people who tried to leave, yikes I know. This caused me to experience anxiety and panic attacks for the first time in my life and so I stood up for myself and got out of there as quick as I could. Our job takes up so much of our life so we deserve to absolutely LOVE every part of it and sometimes we don’t always get it right the first time and that’s okay, keep trying.

There is a version of you out there that can be passionate about the work that you do and love spending your day working and love who you do it for, I promise. Change your mindset and your life around you will change.

SELF CARE

Self care isn’t just facials and bubble baths. It’s about taking specific time every day to work on yourself, fill up your cup and do what YOU want. I personally have a self care setting on my phone that is actually on pretty much all the time hehe so what it does is silences all my notifications so I don’t have unnecessary distractions throughout the day. I dedicate specific time in my day to post and view social media, reply to emails, etc. this has helped me be in control of what takes up my head space and keep my personal self care time and business time separate.

Block off personal days, vacation time, you and your body need rest! Schedule that massage, doctors appt., find a new hobby-something you love to do outside of work, or just schedule time to do nothing. You deserve days off to live, rest and reflect and remember life isn’t just about your business and work. Don’t just expect it to happen, schedule it months in advance if you need to.

I really hope this blog was able to help shed some light on things you might need to shift around in your business and personal life so you can achieve that work/life balance. You got this!

XOXO, Jasmine

Let me know in the comments your thoughts and anything else you would like to hear from me!