Life and work balance

Work and life balance has become increasingly important in today’s world. Here we celebrate the role of rest and play. After all, without it we compromise the success of our solo business, not to mention our happiness, relationships, health and well-being.

As a soloist in control of your career, you are well placed to make time for the business of life. That’s the theory anyway! The articles here will help you put work and life balance into practise.

Topics include your relationship with time, juggling parenthood and your business, making space for ideas and avoiding the ‘always available’ trap. You’re sure to find something of interest in this section, devoted to keeping your perspective.

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Stay Balanced articles

• Stay Balanced

  Combining work and family

  Is working as a soloist a solution to returning-to-work mothers? Self-employment offers flexibility, work-life balance and a chance to excel in your chosen career. However when combining work and family you need to think through all the issues.

  • Published 30 April 08
  • Michele Hackshall
  • 6 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Adapt your business to manage work and family

  When your kids are at school, you’ll have more time for your business, right? Not necessarily. How do you and your business cope with the constant evolution of your family? Here are some tips on how to adapt your business to manage work and family.

  • Published 23 April 08
  • Karen Morris
  • 2 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Juggling motherhood and a solo business

  When you’re a solo business operator whose starting a family, you'll find fitting in both a challenge. So how can you juggle parenthood and a solo business without becoming a quivering wreck?

  • Published 19 March 08
  • Karen Morris
  • 14 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Ten strategies for a ‘detoxed lifestyle’

  A great alternative to a regular detox program is to create a detoxed lifestyle. This enduring approach allows you to enjoy life’s pleasures, while at the same time caring for your health on a daily basis.

  • Published 05 March 08
  • Kate James
  • 7 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Five strategies for scheduling holidays

  In my article called 'Are you taking enough annual leave' I stated one of the perks of being a soloist is that you don’t have to consullt your boss when you are scheduling holidays.

  • Published 08 February 08
  • Linda Anderson
  • 2 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Balancing work and motherhood

  Recently I wrote about my decision to resume sending Christmas cards to clients and others I value. I was shocked when the reaction to what I thought was an innocent think piece proved so divisive.

  • Published 16 January 08
  • Karen Morath
  • 13 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Are you taking enough annual leave?

  Often soloists don’t plan their annual leave well enough and, unfortunately for many, they haven’t taken a real holiday for years. Yet it is hugely important for soloists to take meaningful chunks of time out from their business.

  • Published 19 December 07
  • Linda Anderson
  • 4 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Working at home with kids: When’s the best time to start?

  Working at home with kids is a great way to balance parenting with a career but it can also bring a host of challenges. What is the best age for your children to be when you start your business?

  • Published 19 September 07
  • Kate James
  • 16 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  How to handle stress and overwhelm

  Both the stress of work and the stress of finding work are common causes of soloist overwhelm. But there are techniques you can use to clear your mind, lift your spirit and help you handle stress. I call my method a 'Modern Mantra' and reckon it's ideal f

  • Published 22 June 07
  • Megan Hills
  • 9 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Yin, yang and work life balance

  The typical soloist is a master of Yang, i.e hard work, striving and making things happen. But what about Yin, and the magic, ease, flow and balance it offers?

  • Published 18 June 07
  • Peter Morgan
  • 6 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Can power napping improve my performance?

  It's true that young children seem to benefit from naps and the 'siesta' is common In a lot of cultures. But what are the advantages of power napping to the busy soloist?

  • Published 04 May 07
  • Justin Zachan
  • 7 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  How to make the most of May

  May is a great time to indulge ourselves. I don’t mean we should merely plan a sleep in, a night out or a massage. Nor do I mean we should go silly and upgrade our Windows software or buy a better desk chair.

  • Published 02 May 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 1 Comment

• Stay Balanced

  How to make the most of April

  April is a great month. It’s school holidays for some, Easter holidays for others. Joy of joys. Many of us haven’t had a break since January! Now is the perfect time to focus on balancing work and family.

  • Published 02 April 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 2 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Mindfulness: How switching off can help your business

  There’s nothing quite like the freedom that goes with being your own boss, but one of the most common downsides is the inability to switch off. The practice of ‘being in the moment’, also known as ‘mindfulness’, can help.

  • Published 21 March 07
  • Kate James
  • 2 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Balancing work and family

  When you’re running a business it’s easy to get bogged down with the trivialities and busyness that seem to take over. But balancing work and family actually makes life more enjoyable... and business hours run more smoothly.

  • Published 14 March 07
  • Karen Morris
  • 3 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Exercise while you work

  There is a simple way to increase your efficiency and decrease the stress: exercise while you work. Hold that groan - there are some fun and easy ways to slip healthy physical activity into your working day without it becoming a chore.

  • Published 12 March 07
  • Megan Hills
  • 4 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Work life balance: Tips for enjoying summer

  I certainly love the summer months and I am always trying to find ways to get out and about to enjoy myself on the weekends. But what about during the week? It is important to have a good work life balance.

  • Published 07 March 07
  • Justin Zachan
  • 3 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  How can an afternoon nap be good for business?

  As soloists, our resources are tighter than ever. We don’t have time to take a nap. Our clients depend on us; they expect us to be efficient, responsive and, well, awake. So taking a nap during work hours is not professional behaviour...or is it?

  • Published 14 February 07
  • Megan Hills
  • 4 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Depression: Coping with life's down times

  Feeling low is a natural part of life. But if you have problems coping with life's down times, or are experiencing 'bad' emotions on an ongoing basis, it may indicate a problem like depression.

  • Published 29 January 07
  • Justin Zachan
  • 15 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Finding inner calm during a busy day

  For many busy soloists, the concept of inner calm is alluring, yet elusive. But without the safety net of sick pay or the freedom to have a slack work day without paying the price, taking care of yourself is an essential part of being a soloist.

  • Published 26 January 07
  • Kate James
  • 7 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  How to have a healthy workplace

  We’re constantly told we need to eat better, exercise more, get more sleep, and spend more time with our families and friends. But sometimes, there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Read on for some tips on how to have a healthy workplace.

  • Published 13 November 06
  • Kath O'Sullivan
  • 1 Comment

• Stay Balanced

  Creative thinking: What would Virgin Blue do?

  If you're struggling with a lack of ideas or inspiration, sometimes it helps to do some creative thinking and ask, what approach might another business you admire take?

  • Published 16 October 06
  • Tim Reid
  • 2 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Getting healthy: Tips to help you on the road to recovery

  In spite of our best efforts to look after ourselves, it is inevitable we will fall ill at some stage. When we're ill, we need to make getting healthy a priority and avoid adopting the "she'll be right" approach.

  • Published 11 September 06
  • Justin Zachan
  • 2 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Small business planning: Are you prepared if you fall sick?

  Last time we looked at tips for staying healthy at work. But what happens if you succumb to illness and and are unable to work effectively? This will happen to all of us at some stage so it is important to have some business planning in place.

  • Published 11 August 06
  • Justin Zachan

• Stay Balanced

  Ten tips for staying healthy at work

  As a soloist, what do you do when you get sick? If you take time out to recover you could lose business or miss deadlines. If you keep working, your performance level may drop or you may get sicker. Staying healthy at work is very important.

  • Published 30 June 06
  • Justin Zachan

• Stay Balanced

  Effects of dehydration: Why you should drink more water

  We all know drinking lots of water is good for us, but do we understand why? Here we explore the real effects of dehydration and how water helps you live and work at 100%.

  • Published 02 June 06
  • Justin Zachan
  • 7 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Live a healthy lifestyle and reduce stress!

  If you feel guilty about taking time out for self-care, remember we owe it to ourselves, our work, our loved ones & the community to prioritise our physical, mental, emotional & spiritual health. Living a healthy lifestyle helps you to reduce stress.

  • Published 26 May 06
  • Sally Bruce
  • 1 Comment

• Stay Balanced

  Work life balance: Exploding the superhero myth

  Running your own business to give you more time to be with and care for your family sounds great in principle, but we need to take care to keep a work life balance and not to fall foul of the superhero myth.

  • Published 15 May 06
  • Karen Morris
  • 2 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Workaholic alert! In praise of powering off

  All solopreneurs, most especially those starting out, seem to have an over eager sense of responsibility. Read on to see if you are in danger of becoming a workaholic.

  • Published 21 April 06
  • Paul J. Morris
  • 3 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Are you susceptible to work stress related illness? Take our stress test and find out.

  The amount of pressure you come under at work contributes to your chances of developing heart disease, diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. Try our stress test to see how susceptible you are to work stress related illnesses.

  • Published 07 April 06
  • Gabriel Perera
  • 8 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Ways of dealing with stress at work

  Dealing with stress at work can be a good thing up to a point, as the extra energy can increase our performance. But what can you do when it becomes too much and performance starts to drop off?

  • Published 03 April 06
  • Megan Tough
  • 5 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Developing healthy eating habits

  When we confuse ‘business’ with ‘busy-ness’, eating can easily become just another thing to be done. Yet it is one of the most pleasurable and life-sustaining acts. Soloists should make a point of developing healthy eating habits.

  • Published 24 March 06
  • Sally Bruce
  • 5 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Healthy living: Live and work at 100%

  As you are the most important asset in your business, healthy living is pretty important to ensure that your business is running to its full potential. Read on to find out how to take good care of your business by first looking after yourself.

  • Published 08 March 06
  • Justin Zachan
  • 13 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Setting priorities: Looking after our ecosystems

  It's our duty as soloists to turn our back on today's work-obsessed culture. When setting priorities, we must ensure our work takes its rightful place alongside other priorities. When we suffer due to lack of balance, so of course does our business.

  • Published 10 February 06
  • Sam Leader
  • 12 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Information overload! Achieving a work life balance

  Us Australians are losing our laidback, carefree reputation, as we continue to work longer hours, exercise less and neglect our leisure and family time. Information overload makes achieving a work life balance increasingly difficult.

  • Published 25 January 06
  • Thomas Murrell
  • 5 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Balancing parenthood and running your own business

  It isn't easy juggling the demands of parenthood with those of running your own business, but it can be done.

  • Published 08 November 05
  • Karen Morris
  • 10 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Business and personal life balance

  Working in your own business and having a personal life is all about balance and education. Not just educating yourself, but educating your friends and family that what you do is just as important as any other job.

  • Published 16 September 05
  • Barb Clews

• Stay Balanced

  Managing work life balance: Avoid the ‘always available’ trap

  Modern gizmos and gadgets means soloists can be permanently available to their clients. A good thing? Maybe not. Managing work life balance is an important lesson to learn.

  • Published 15 September 05
  • Robert Gerrish
  • 3 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Home based business: Sharing with your kids

  If you have young children in your life, running a home based business presents a particular set of challenges. The key is to be super organised.

  • Published 12 September 05
  • Kim McGuinness
  • 4 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Setting boundaries to reduce stress

  Putting your foot down remains a challenge for lots of soloists, but setting boundaries is a great way to reduce stress and limit how often we overwork.

  • Published 08 August 05
  • Megan Tough
  • 5 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Ten strategies for dealing with anxiety in business

  If you think there aren't enough hours in the day and need a hand dealing with anxiety in business, these tried and tested tips will help you work smarter and manage time more effectively.

  • Published 25 July 05
  • Megan Tough
  • 2 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Gone fishing

  Keep it simple, or build it big? This parable warns against getting so busy building a business that you forget to build a life.

  • Published 07 July 05