We were recently asked how we get it all done. How we balance friends, family, sports, school, business and life. And the truth is, we don’t. We simply can’t get everything done that we want to. We cannot write all of the content we want, make all the graphics we need, or help as much as we like. We are teenagers who balance business, school, friends, and family just like you. It’s okay to not get it all done. We think that that makes us better entrepreneurs. It’s okay to take a step back or take a break if you need it. It’s okay to not post everyday and spend it with friends. It’s all about balance. Finding balance is the hallmark of self-care is important because if you do not take care of yourself, you cannot be fully present in any other aspect of life.
But we do our best to find the balance between everything we want to get done and everything we are able to get done.
Here are 10 tips for finding balance:
- get more sleep
- drink more water
- exercise
- read
- be kind to yourself
- take breaks
- schedule free time
- work when you can
- stop when it’s not fun
- ask for help
Get more sleep: Sleep is so important. It rejuvenates, restores, and prepares you for life every day. Studies have shown that adequate sleep is crucial to your overall health. For us, sleep is an essential part of balancing all aspects of our life. Without it, we would not be able to effectively learn in school, work on our business, or have the energy for sports, friends, or family.
Drink more water: Drinking water is essential for keeping you healthy. It helps hydrate your body, provide essential nutrients, and flush toxins from your body. For us, drinking water helps keep us ready to work, run, and play. We strive for 8 cups a day, to replenish from sports and stay healthy.
Exercise: Experts agree that exercise is vital to all aspects of health and wellness. We are fortunate enough to be able to play many sports to stay healthy. We love to play just about any sport; but our favorites are volleyball, basketball, and football. We have practice nearly every day, and when we don’t we work out around the house, or go outside for a run. This rigorous and consistent exercise helps us stay grounded, deal with stress, and keep balanced.
Read: Reading is so important to us. For many teenagers, reading is confined to only school purposes, but our family is always encouraging us to explore and learn more. We read for fun, to learn, and to grow. Fiction can take you to places without having to leave home, and non-fiction stories have taught us so much about amazing people, places, and things.
Be kind to yourself: It’s easy to get down on yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed or inadequate. When the world is constantly showing you what everyone else is doing, all the followers they are acquiring, and all the amazing things they are accomplishing, it can be easy to fall into a slump. We try not to gauge our success based on someone else’s path. We are building our own business, brand, and life path. Our journey will be different than everyone else’s. Yours will too. And that’s okay.
Take breaks: Take a break already! It’s okay to step back when you need to. In fact, it’s likely to make you more efficient in your business and happier in your life. You cannot have balance if you do not try and step away when things are too much. Breaks are good, because they are not only a chance to step away and destress, but also as a way to come back to something with fresh eyes and new ideas. Take a break, hang with friends, read a book, or listen to music. Do whatever it is that you need to in order to destress and replenish those internal energy stores.
Schedule free time: If you are a true hard core business owner, you will likely find it difficult to take a break even when you need it. If that is the case, schedule in those breaks. We tend to try and not schedule work on the weekends. That scheduled break allows for us to take a step back and not feel guilty about it. It also helps keep us balanced and excited about our business, instead of feeling bogged down and overwhelmed. As silly as it probably sounds, if we didn’t schedule free time, we probably wouldn’t ever take a break.
Work when you can: Our mom has taught us how to find time even when we think there isn’t any. We look at our days and analyze the empty times that we may be wasting. For example, we check our social media accounts, reply to DMs, and read emails during in between times such as waiting for breakfast, in between classes, or on bus rides to sporting events. Doing these little activities during times that we would otherwise be wasting, helps us be more productive and clear our brain of all the things we need to do.
Stop when it’s not fun: We try and work whenever we have a bit of time. We work on small projects when we have a limited amount of time, and larger projects when we have a larger amount of time. Although we try and do as much as we can, when we can, we stop when it is not fun. Businesses take work, but when you are doing so much that it becomes a detriment to your health, you need to stop. Finding balance means working when you are passionate. If your business is no linger fun, it’s an indication that you need to take a break.
Ask for help: Finding and keeping balance means reaching out when you need help. Instead of trying to accomplish everything by yourself, you may want to reach out for help when necessary. Sometimes you can employ the help from friends, family, or teachers. We could not have accomplished all that we have done by ourselves. We have talked to many different types of people who are experts in their respective fields. This has helped us have time for other things that need our attention. For example, we have reached out to lawyers, graphic designers, and web developers for help on items that we would not otherwise be able to accomplish. But asking for help also means reaching out for support when feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Find a parent, friend, or trusted adult when feeling too stressed or overwhelmed.
Finding balance is tough for every business owner, but it is especially tough for young CEOs. These are just a few of the tips we use to help keep us grounded and able to balance things that come our way. If you have any other tips, or things that work for you, let us know! Email us at hello@kideverest.com