The thought of advising women on how to run their businesses while juggling all their other (unpaid) responsibilities may sound sexist. But the fact is that even in households with more than one adult, generally the woman or women will do the bulk of the unpaid labor, such as childcare, housekeeping, organization, and management of the home and family. All this, while they make only 84% of what most males in equivalent jobs make. Sometimes care of an aging parent is also part of their responsibilities.
This inequity certainly must be addressed, and while it is still in place, ways to manage are important. The San Diego East County Regional Chamber of Commerce provides some strategies for finding this new balance.
Delegation Is a Beautiful Thing
Nobody can “do it all” — no matter how good their intentions are. TheBMJ reports that the higher the amount of unpaid work, the higher the incidence of depression, particularly in women. We all have 24 hours in a day, and although energy levels may vary, trying to run a business, do all the upkeep on a home, care for children, run errands, exercise, socialize with friends, and care for an aging parent without assistance is a road to burnout and other mental and physical health issues.
You can delegate some tasks to paid workers, such as freelancers, to help with dog walking, childcare, shopping, housekeeping, eldercare, landscaping and gardening, and errand running. You can also ask other members of your household to help. Older children and teens can assist with some tasks, such as pet care, taking out the trash and recycling, loading the dishwasher, and folding laundry. If you have a partner or other adult in the household, have a talk with them about what responsibilities they are willing to take on.
If you have a project at work, delegate certain aspects of it to reliable team members. You can use a project management tool to assign and share tasks, and send or upload important information as PDFs. This file format is stable and can be easily encrypted, so it is an ideal format for anything that could be accessed outside of your business. You can easily convert your files using a free online converter. Consider this option, as it lets you complete the process in a simple drag-and-drop format. You can even use a free PDF editing tool if you want your team’s feedback right in the document.
Let Some Things Go
That’s right, not everything has to be done right now, and some things are optional, not mandatory. For example, you and your household may enjoy celebrating holidays with lots of decorations in the home and yard. Putting up and taking down these decorations takes a considerable amount of time and energy. If others in your household aren’t able or willing to help with these tasks, you can choose to let them go undone. Of course, children and pets need to be fed and cared for, but they don’t have to have the latest trendy clothing and haircuts. Every task doesn’t have to be done by you, and some tasks don’t have to be done at all.
Delegating Within Your Business
Hiring freelance or temporary workers to help run your business can be a great choice. There’s no reason you have to be the one to clean the office, stuff envelopes, take orders, and answer the phone. If you decide to change the structure of your business and make it a limited liability corporation (LLC), which has some advantages, this doesn’t have to mean more work for you. When you start an LLC, regulations vary by state. You want to get it right, so you could hire a formation service to make sure the laws and guidelines are followed and the necessary forms submitted. You may also hire a registered agent who will take on some responsibilities associated with your business.
Learn to Say No
There will be times when you’ll be asked to take on additional responsibilities or even times when you cannot fulfill your existing responsibilities, explains Virtual Speech. Learning to say no, set a boundary, and enforce it will be key to maintaining your sanity. Just because you seem super efficient and enjoy baking doesn’t mean that you must acquiesce when asked to provide 300 homemade cupcakes for the school bake sale. Saying no before you are overwhelmed is critical for maintaining physical and mental health.
Set Your Own Boundaries
Running your own business, home, family, and practicing self-care can be an overwhelming set of responsibilities. Don’t fall into the exhausting trap of thinking you must do each thing yourself. Delegating tasks to both paid workers and household members can lighten your load. Setting priorities and determining which tasks can be delayed or omitted is useful. And sometimes, simply saying “no” is your best path. As they say on airplanes, you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself before attempting to help other passengers. Managing your own workload and stress level will contribute to the well-being of yourself and others around you.
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