Balancing Work and Life ⚖️

Hi Entrepreneur,

In a world filled with constant demands and endless to-do lists, finding equilibrium between work commitments and personal well-being can seem like an elusive goal. So this week we’re diving straight into the Dos and Don’ts to balancing your work and life. ⚖️

Oh hold on! Have you heard about the NERC Urgency Funding?

Apply for funding to respond quickly to transient and unexpected scientific opportunities.

These may be events affecting the environment created by the occurrence of sporadic natural events such as:

• earthquakes

• droughts

• floods

• ephemeral events in ecosystems.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding.

The aim of this grant is to help you collect valuable data at the start of the event before other events and actions affect the data collection.

The full economic cost of your project can be up to £100,000. NERC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.

Application Deadline is 30th September 2025, 4:00pm. Make sure you apply to secure this opportunity. To know more about the grant and apply for the competition visit here.

As an entrepreneur it can be really difficult to find an equilibrium between your work and life because of the demands and attention your business would require. This applies to small business owners, solopreneurs and business owners of large companies.

The question is that is it important to have equal amounts of hours divided between your and your personal life? Not really, to put it in simple words work-life balance is to have a fulfilling rhythm for both of your worlds!

Thinking how successful entrepreneurs find this balance? Then join us as at our upcoming networking event, where these entrepreneurs share their experiences, tips and answer your question during our Fireside Chat. 🔥 We are coming at King's Building, Strand Campus on the 26th of March 2024, 18:30pm. Don’t forget to book your tickets and enrol yourself. Find more details here.

What Does an Unhealthy Work-Life Balance Look Like?

Noticing the signs of unhealthy work-life balance is very easy. This can look like:

• Feeling Tired All the Time- If you’re feeling fatigued almost all the time then it is a sign that you’ve been overworking yourself. This also results in struggles to get good sleep.

• Working Overtime- If you’ve been working longer hours and not just one day but most of the days, it’s a sign of unhealthy work-life balance. This could be because of your need to finish all tasks or take on more work. Working from home can also result in working overtime.

• Feeling Irritable- If you find yourself feeling annoyed and losing your temper when you’re around your co-workers or your family members then it could be because of unhealthy work-life balance. This could be because you might not be able to give yourself time and have a break from your work.

• Your Workspace and Personal Space is a Mess- When you feel that your personal and workspace is cluttered and you don’t have time to tidy it up. Having a messy workspace affects our focus on doing tasks well and can make us feel less productive which in turn leads to more stress.

• You Neglect Personal Relationships- If you’re invited to events with your friends and family but you reject them just so you can finish work, then it’s an unhealthy work-life balance habit. As much as work is important, it is important to know that work is a part of our lives and not our life itself. It’s important to take a break and unwind from work with people you love and enjoy being around.

If you’re looking for tips and tricks on how to maintain a healthy work-life balance, then Tune in to our Podcast every Thursday on Spotify to learn more from some of the successful entrepreneurs and all things related to startups, innovation and creating something from scratch. 🎙️

This Week’s Guests: Perdie Alder and Margaret Coyle

🎤Join us as we get into a discussion with Perdie Alder and Margaret Coyle, founders of Hotbed, a virtual accelerator that aims to address the imbalance in funding and opportunity distribution for startups. The founders emphasize the importance of speaking with users, being focused, and having the ability to sell. They also discuss the challenges faced by female founders and the need for a supportive network.

Now the question is how do we maintain a healthy work-life balance?

This can look different for different people and everyone has their own rhythm that they flow best with. But here are some basic things you can do on a day-to-day basis to help you find your work-life rhythm:

• Share your worries with someone you trust, having someone you can talk to when you’re stressed means that you can find solutions from a third person perspective and they can also help in cheering you up.

• Be your authentic self, playing parts of yourself in every sphere of life becomes an extra stress. Be yourself and and handle every situation by being yourself.

• It’s all about giving and taking, accept that some days you will HAVE to work longer hours, meaning you give less time to your family. In times like these make sure you are compensating that lost time by readjusting the expectations and giving your family enough time too.

• Communication is the key, being the person who is sailing the ship namely your business, you will have to have a clear communication with your employees, your partners, your family and yourself. Make sure that you communicate well what the expectations are and how you will come up with solutions to find a perfect harmony for each and everyone of you.

Few other things that should be kept in mind is that:

• Know that work and personal life will never be 50/50, sometimes you will have to attend to personal life matters during work hours and sometimes you will have to attend work calls during your time away from work. The key is to find a balance that suits you!

• Sometimes failing in personal life or even in work might come with lessons to learn and implement in your work life and personal life so you don’t make the mistakes twice. It’s about how you embrace your failures.

• Although you might be good at a lot of things, it’s never harmful to ask for help when you really need it. One thing that will also help your relationships is to stay focused on your zone of genius, the things that nobody else can do, and then put your energies into hiring our outsourcing the rest.

• As difficult it may seem, saying “No” is important, in order to have any chance of keeping your head above water, saying no is a vital skill.

• Have you heard the proverb “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? It’s the same for work too, you have to take time off to unwind and relax. It is important to take vacations to take a break from work which means when you get back, you come with a fresh mind and more energy to be efficient and achieve goals!

To succeed in your work and have healthy relationships it’s essential to find a work-life equilibrium that suits your the best. It is also important for your mental health to have a healthy balance between the two spheres of your life.

We are glad to introduce our course “Build your Business in 6-weeks”, with 8 different course modules.

This week we are introducing an exclusive session on “ How to Build an Investable MVP” with renowned expert David Pearce ! 🚀

📅 Save the Date: April 19th, 2024

🕔 Time: 5:00 PM –7:00PM

In this 2 hours session, you'll gain invaluable insights into:

• Advice on how to put together a well-crafted and investable MVP ready to make an impact in the market.

• Enhanced knowledge and skills in navigating the intricacies of MVP development.

• The ability to effectively validate ideas and align your product with market needs.

• A competitive edge in the startup landscape with insights into must-dos and best practices.

With only 22 spots left, this is an opportunity you won't want to miss! Secure your spot now and build your startup. 💼✨

Get an early bird discount now by enrolling here! 🚀

To find more about the course visit our website: https://thestartupevents.co.uk/

Join our community and network on our platform, it’s a space where you can share your startup has a story and inspire others as well as exchange tips and experiences. You can be a part of our Vibrant Startup Community by applying here. 🤝

To get important announcements and stay updated about our upcoming community activities, join our Whatsapp chat group here.

We hope that this helps you find your perfect work-life rhythm so your business reaches new heights. We also hope to see you at our Networking Event! 🚀

Warm regards,

The Startup Events Team 🌐