We are bought up in a world where working 9 to 5 until we retire is a normal life. I myself have worked as an employee since I was 16, so adjusting to a whole new way of working my small business at the age of 28 was a big shock to me!
So I went from having start and finish times for my job to working all the time with my small business in Melbourne. I felt that because I was working from home I had to be working hard all of the time! Which is totally not the case!
Over the past few months, I have tried and tested many different things to develop a routine that works for me and my business (which I’m sure you small business owners can relate to!). I tried working 12 hours days for only a few days and then having more days off, but then I felt guilty during my days off. So I tried giving myself a 9 to 5 timing but this doesn’t always work with web design as I’m not always in a creative mood and I am often waiting for website content or replies from clients. I also found it very hard to switch off at night and would be answering emails at 10pm!? It was then I realised that I started this job for a work-life balance and my work was taking over. So what did I do?
My daily routine
I chose to develop a routine that would work for me, so here it is:
6.30am Wake up, drink apple cider vinegar in hot water and read my book. Followed by a coffee of course!
7.30am Yoga or a workout
8.30am Shower and get ready for my day
9.00am Reply to any emails received from clients after I switched off the day before
9.30am Work on one project and one project only!!
12.30pm Eat and take a walk
1.30pm Return to work to fix up any loose ends on other projects
3.00pm Sign off for the day
Looking at this I couldn’t believe that I was only actually working 4.5 hours a day and it was working. This routine allows me to ease myself into my day, exercise, get my work done and then gives me the afternoon to do anything I would like to.
At the moment I am upskilling myself with a UX design course from Google and being able to do this not only benefits me but also my clients also as I am constantly improving my design skills.
Being in Melbourne has allowed my small business to develop as I am always surrounded by beautiful things that inspire me. I will continue to develop and adjust my routine to continuously develop my business and other small businesses that I work with.
