How many times have you been told you need to “hustle” to make it as an entrepreneur? Our culture glorifies “the hustle,” but the ability to maintain work-life balance – building your private practice AND living your life – is essential to create the long-lasting business of your dreams.

Here’s a (not so secret) secret for you:

When you’re managing your energy wisely and doing what you love, you will feel balanced. Prioritizing self-care as the gateway to all success is not only good business strategy in the wellness industry, but most importantly, it’s necessary for your own livelihood. Promoting work-life balance while building your private practice will help you be a better business owner and nutrition counselor, and it may make building your business a more fulfilling journey.

But balance isn’t something that just happens. We have to make it happen. If you’re struggling to maintain balance and find yourself craving more down time, it’s time to make your work-life balance a priority.

Here are 5 ways to maintain work-life balance while building your practice:

1. Use Your Time Wisely: Eliminate Unnecessary Time Sucks

Hand over those administrative tasks and maximize your time for what you enjoy the most. By automating tasks within Healthie, you can focus on caring for clients and building your business. Yes, it is possible to streamline your entire business within one platform… and it’s a HUGE time saver!

Related: See how Jeanne saves time in her business by using Healthie!

Did you know you can automate:

• Scheduling
• Appointment reminders
• Customized emails
• Message blasts
• Billing

By saving energy with automations, you can reduce unnecessary stressors, more easily engage with clients, and have time for YOU.

How to do it: Set up automated appointment reminders, finish setting up your intake flow, and accept recurring monthly payments.

2. Schedule “Me Time” (Yes, actually block it off in your calendar!)

Clients want to work with you because you represent what they need. They aren’t just buying into your particular practices, they are buying into you. Think about it: If you’re not personally growing, then neither can your business!

When you take time for yourself, you will boost your work productivity too. Just like you schedule your clients, manage social media, and keep up with billing, setting aside designated “me time” is essential to maintain work-life balance and long-lasting business growth.

You’ve likely experienced the near impossible task of trying to create when you’re running on empty. It is scientifically proven that your focus increases after taking breaks. So…take breaks, have fun, and get more done!    

How to do it: Block out “me time” on your Healthie calendar. Clients will only be able to schedule sessions with you during your designated open hours. Whether it’s 15 minutes for a Headspace meditation, 1 hour to meet friends for lunch, or 4 hours to spend time with your family, block the time off…and stick to it! To get access to Healthie’s calendar feature and many others, sign up for a Free Starter Account today!

3. Set and Respect Your Own Boundaries

Protect your time and your privacy. Nutrition and wellness counseling is personal. How you communicate with your clients is up to YOU.

Burnout is a real, psychological syndrome that commonly arises through consistent interpersonal stressors and a lack of professional autonomy. If you do not respect your own time and boundaries, neither can your clients. Create the personal-professional environment you desire by setting your own boundaries from the start.

How to do it: Share office policies in your intake paperwork,  which can be sent automatically through Healthie. Stick to to your set availability, and let clients know how you want to communicate between sessions. If you’re communicating through Healthie’s client friendly mobile app, let clients know how often you will check their messages or food logging entries. Try this feature for free today with our Starter Plan.

4. Set Personal, (Not Just Professional) Goals

Why set personal goals when building your business IS one of your biggest goals?

Remind yourself that your self-worth is not solely dependent on your career or material gains. Setting personal goals helps you zoom out, appreciate where you are now, and see the big picture. Furthering life satisfaction through intrinsic goal setting will not only make you happier, but comparative research has also proven these goals to strengthen relationships, connection, and overall autonomy.  

How to do it: As wellness professionals, you spend your livelihood caring for other people. If you’re a part of the Healthie community, you may even have clients use Healthie’s goal setting feature . Now it’s time to put the same energy into setting your goals! Some examples of personal, intrinsic goals may be:

• Planning consistent family adventures for the last Sunday of each month will ensure a fun family connection.
• Inviting someone to join me in the 6pm boxing class on Thursday evenings after work will help me find new, exciting ways to move my body and spend time with friends.
• Shutting off my computer and turning my phone to airplane mode by 10:00 pm will ensure I go to sleep with a rested mind and have a good night’s sleep for a great day tomorrow.  

You may find that some of your personal and professional goals overlap, and that’s okay! Since you are passionate about what you do, some overlap is bound to happen. Perhaps you’ll be reminded why you love your work so much in the first place!

5.  Connect With Like-Minded Individuals

Constantly focusing on client issues and business growth can be incredibly draining, even when you love what you do. If your mind is spinning 24/7 around how to connect with clients and boost your practice, it’s easy to disregard your own need for connection and support. Humans are wired to connect!

Have you heard that you’re the average of the 5 people that you spend most of your time with? Who you engage with has a large impact on your overall well-being.

Ask yourself:

Who makes you feel energized and inspired?

What qualities do you strive to attain?

What’s your mission?

How to do it: Surround yourself with individuals who support you in your mission and vision. If you haven’t joined the Healthie Community group on Facebook yet, it’s a great place to start building connections with other empowered wellness professionals.  

Meet and engage with others who have similar or overlapping interests and business goals. Perhaps, some are further along in their career journeys, others can be potential collaborators, or even friends who are in a completely different line of work. The aim is to establish true connections, be inspired, and remember that you are not alone in your personal or professional journey. Healthie makes keeping these contacts easy. To set up a free Starter account with Healthie today, click here.

Your journey to building your private practice is unique to you. Wherever you are, look for inspiration, make connections, and (most importantly) take care of yourself. Taking steps to maintain work-life balance can not only bring you more enjoyment, but more success in the long-run.