As the summer days start to wane, it’s hard not to wonder, “Where has the summer gone?” Hopefully, these past months have treated you well, allowing you to strike a balance between work and play. With Labor Day just around the corner, it’s time to prepare for the shift back to school and work is well underway, ushering in a new kind of balancing act. This transition often involves juggling the demands of your job, family, social life, and, for students, study and class time.
Another type of balancing act that often comes up, especially for small business owners and entrepreneurs, is managing support work for current clients while also keeping the business development pipeline active.
Do you have tried-and-true methods for maintaining this balance? Here are some ideas.
Balancing Business Development with Client Work
Ask any business consultant about balancing time between new business development and client work, and you’ll likely get an earful about time management and setting priorities. While these skills are crucial and always worth refining, if you’ve made it through high school, college, and have held a job or run a business, you likely already manage your time and set priorities pretty well.
What I’m talking about is working smart—optimizing your time, attention, and the effectiveness of your work for current clients so that you can “find” time to focus on growing your business without feeling stressed or overwhelmed. It’s easier said than done.
Finding the Right Balance
“Balance” often suggests a 50/50 split, but is that realistic? It depends. If your immediate need is to complete client work, you might need to tip the scales in that direction temporarily. Thus, your definition of balance will likely change frequently, sometimes from week to week or even day to day, depending on your current business needs.
For example, you might achieve balance by dedicating 30% of your time to new business growth and 70% to current client projects, while I might lean towards a 60% new business and 40% client work split. Some weeks, you might focus heavily on client work, checking off tasks from your to-do list, while other weeks, you might prioritize making cold calls or conducting research. Or perhaps you prefer a mix, making incremental progress each day. It’s entirely up to you and how you work best.
Tips for Maintaining Balance
- Be Flexible and Adaptable: The key to balance, however you define it, is flexibility.
- Schedule Time for Each Activity: Just as you block off time for client calls or projects, set aside time for new business activities and treat it as sacred.
- Avoid Busy Work: Steer clear of administrative tasks that feel productive but detract from your focus on new business development and client results.
- Prevent Overwhelm: Ideally, avoid periods of intense overwhelm by planning and prioritizing effectively.
As we transition from summer to fall, let’s embrace the new balancing act with flexibility and a smart approach to managing time and priorities. How do you plan to balance your work and personal life as the seasons change?
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