5 steps to a healthy work-life balance when youre your own boss

5 steps to a healthy work-life balance when youre your own boss5 steps to a healthy work-life balance when youre your own bossFor many small business owners, your week is so overrun with meetings- not to mention requests from both clients and employees - that you have to spend the whole weekend catching your breath and getting ahead before Monday sends you into overdrive again.At the same time, while your small business has become such a deep-rooted part of your character because it was born out of your passion, you wouldnt trade it for anything.Welcome to the world of being your own boss.Heres how to inch closer to thework-life balance you need to keep from burning out.Work outside of your business and away from homeMix things up by crossing things off your work to-do list in a coffee shop, a co-working space or a library instead ofroutinely bringing it all home with you.All those hours spent cooped up at work - plus other obligations you need to tend to in the comfort of your ow n home - can make it difficult to focus on extra things you need to do to move your business forward. Take your work somewhere else to get in the right headspace.Set energy boundariesA big part of work-life balance for entrepreneurs boils down toenergy management.What energy drains in your life need to be eliminated or minimized? Perhaps you have a few high maintenance clients that suck up all your energy, or maybe your cluttered arbeitszimmer is dragging you down. Which energy refuelers must be present to help you maintain the energy you need for your life? Virtual Office Managerfounder Lori Lear Young writes on LinkedIn.Lear suggests taking a long weekend at minimum once a month as a way to re-energize.Make your off-limits time crystal clearProtecting your downtime might as well be another full-time job.Alyssa Gregory, small business expert and founder of small business blog and online community Small Business Bonfire, writes on The Balance about how to communicate your ground ru les to clients.She provides an exampleLets say, for example, that you take off every Thursday afternoon to go to your daughters soccer games. You could just make a unilateral statement to all of your clients that you will be out of the office on Thursday afternoon, so they dont expect a response to their messages. Or, you could share why you take off on Thursday afternoons to expand the personal element of your relationship with your clients. Either way, its important to make sure your clients know in advance that you will be unavailable during that time, Gregory writes.Prioritize self-care - for both yourself and your staffDont just talk about self-care - live it, and model it for your employees so they know that they should also take care of themselves.Peri Pakroo, business and communications consultant, and author of The Womens Small Business Start-Up Kit, writes in Monster that entrepreneurs shouldnt ignore the obvious.Live healthy. Eat well. Exercise regularly. Dont drink too much. Laugh a lot. Smell the jasmine. Encourage your staff to do the same. These small quality choices will help to create a balanced approach to life and business that will benefit both, she continues.Make time for your family, friends, and hobbiesYou may love your business, but you are not your company. Dont let work consume youto the point where you forget who you really are.The people who mean the fruchtwein to you likely see you as much more than your professional achievements, and wont necessarily define you based on how youre faring as an entrepreneur (whether its going well or not).So remember what else makes you special by tapping into what they admire about you- other than your business prowess.But it shouldnt be all take, take take do the same for them by lending an ear and propping them up.As for hobbies, you were a person with other passions, goals and achievements before founding your business, and you will still have other interests once you retire.So go be the pers on youve always wanted to be outside of work - take a class on dancing, pottery, exercise, cooking, you name itCarving out time to develop other strengths will help you approach life with new eyes - and hopefully, rose-colored glasses - more often.