As a self-employed professional, balance is a difficult concept to embrace. Particularly in the early stages of starting your own business, it’s hard not to work all the time. There is always something more to be done. In truth, your work has no end.

No doubt you have those friends who tell you how “lucky” you are to work for yourself. How great it must be to “make your own hours”. How can you possibly explain to these well-meaning friends how different it is being “your own boss” than it is showing up in an office where someone else pays the bills, someone else manages the staff, and someone else is responsible for making sure there is always a client for you to serve?

Striking the balance between working hard – this is a new venture, hard work is a necessary part of it – and still managing to make time to get enough sleep, exercise, to eat well, and, even, take a day or two off now and again, feels like something you can’t possibly find time to do. But, you must.  Approach your business like training for a marathon. You are in it for the long haul. You are not going to turn your new business into an immediate success simply because you are working 7 days a week. You need to take rest days, let the muscles recover, so that you are that much stronger to tackle the hills the next day. It’s hard to separate your personal and professional life in these early stages. But, again, you must. You still have friends, a family, a home. Don’t neglect them, don’t neglect yourself.