Ok, this really depends on your life and responsibilities for others. I'm a single mom of two kids growing multiple brands, so what "balance" looks like for me may differ from your idea.
I've also been freelancing the last 16 years, and I'm in a period of repositioning and juggling a LOT of client work right now. Honestly? Right now, there's no such thing as work/life balance, and I'm ok with that.
Because I know this is such a busy season (everyone and their mom wants to get their marketing together for the new year, which means I'm in high demand right now), I expect to work 18+ hours a day, which means I expect for things to be more work focused now. (I'm working right now at 3am, so that says everything.)
Instead of micro balance (hours/days), I like to think of macro balance (months/years).
This month and next month require intense output from me if I want to not just sustain what I've built but also grow more. But maybe April and May are slower months where I can afford to ease back and focus on more personal life things. If I look back on 2024, I'd like to see a 70/30 balance where I spent 70% of my time on focused work growing my business and 30% focused on personal life (hobbies, relationships, etc.).
You get decide your 2024 balance based on your goals.
If you desire to create a service-based business from scratch and become financially independent through your business this year, you'll have to be realistic with yourself and realize that it won't be 50/50 (and that's okay).
Only you decide that, though.
My only rules are:
If my kids ask me multiple days in a row to play with them, I stop what I'm doing and be present with them. (I can't drop what I'm doing every time, but if it gets to the point where they're coming to me several days in a row, that's a red flag to me.)
If I feel like I'm starting to burn out, I take the day (mostly) off and do only critical tasks.
I find a balance not just with personal and work, but also client work and my own business. (This has been THE most challenging. I have a service-based business delivering client work, but I'm also growing my brand in another niche + growing a community independent of both of those. I haven't found a good balance yet.)
If something feels off-balance and no longer feels good/in flow, then I need to pause and listen to see if my expectations are off or if it's something deeper. (I've been doing this long enough to know it's because I'm neglecting something to an extreme.)
And this works both ways. Sometimes I neglect work by avoiding what I know I should be doing, so I need to stop messing around and do the work.
There are different seasons in life, and only you can decide if this is more "hustle" season or "personal life" season (or maybe you're a unicorn and it's 50/50, but I'm willing to bet it's probably not right now).
Love this response, thanks. I've felt like I've had a perpetual busy season for the last few years. I still need to keep the work up for myself, but I've neglected other aspects for too long. That's why I'm leaning to be stricter with keeping the work inside the work - especially if I'm working for myself, so similarly to you with a service business + other projects. If I'm working fully for my own benefit instead of someone else, I need to be able to do so in a reasonable frame.
I like the macro balance concept, that's a good idea.
Ok, this really depends on your life and responsibilities for others. I'm a single mom of two kids growing multiple brands, so what "balance" looks like for me may differ from your idea.
I've also been freelancing the last 16 years, and I'm in a period of repositioning and juggling a LOT of client work right now. Honestly? Right now, there's no such thing as work/life balance, and I'm ok with that.
Because I know this is such a busy season (everyone and their mom wants to get their marketing together for the new year, which means I'm in high demand right now), I expect to work 18+ hours a day, which means I expect for things to be more work focused now. (I'm working right now at 3am, so that says everything.)
Instead of micro balance (hours/days), I like to think of macro balance (months/years).
This month and next month require intense output from me if I want to not just sustain what I've built but also grow more. But maybe April and May are slower months where I can afford to ease back and focus on more personal life things. If I look back on 2024, I'd like to see a 70/30 balance where I spent 70% of my time on focused work growing my business and 30% focused on personal life (hobbies, relationships, etc.).
You get decide your 2024 balance based on your goals.
If you desire to create a service-based business from scratch and become financially independent through your business this year, you'll have to be realistic with yourself and realize that it won't be 50/50 (and that's okay).
Only you decide that, though.
My only rules are:
If my kids ask me multiple days in a row to play with them, I stop what I'm doing and be present with them. (I can't drop what I'm doing every time, but if it gets to the point where they're coming to me several days in a row, that's a red flag to me.)
If I feel like I'm starting to burn out, I take the day (mostly) off and do only critical tasks.
I find a balance not just with personal and work, but also client work and my own business. (This has been THE most challenging. I have a service-based business delivering client work, but I'm also growing my brand in another niche + growing a community independent of both of those. I haven't found a good balance yet.)
If something feels off-balance and no longer feels good/in flow, then I need to pause and listen to see if my expectations are off or if it's something deeper. (I've been doing this long enough to know it's because I'm neglecting something to an extreme.)
And this works both ways. Sometimes I neglect work by avoiding what I know I should be doing, so I need to stop messing around and do the work.
There are different seasons in life, and only you can decide if this is more "hustle" season or "personal life" season (or maybe you're a unicorn and it's 50/50, but I'm willing to bet it's probably not right now).
Love this response, thanks. I've felt like I've had a perpetual busy season for the last few years. I still need to keep the work up for myself, but I've neglected other aspects for too long. That's why I'm leaning to be stricter with keeping the work inside the work - especially if I'm working for myself, so similarly to you with a service business + other projects. If I'm working fully for my own benefit instead of someone else, I need to be able to do so in a reasonable frame.
I like the macro balance concept, that's a good idea.