In today’s ‘hustle culture’, time freedom is essential for your wellbeing, and it’s one of the biggest attractions of entrepreneurship. Here’s why it’s so important, and what you can do to get closer to your goal.

What attracted you to being an online business owner? Entrepreneurial life comes with plenty of benefits. In particular, the opportunity to gain autonomy over your life and schedule. But it has its drawbacks, too. If you’re a solopreneur, you’re probably doing everything in your business, with little time for anything else. This can be particularly challenging if your online business is a side hustle next to your main occupation. 

The whole point of being self-employed is so that you have MORE time for yourself (even if that’s something you’re working towards). But if Me Time is becoming a far and distant dream and you’re drowning under the pressure of doing it all, it’s worth reassessing your priorities. 

One of the most important aspects of life as an entrepreneur, whether you’re doing this part time or full time, is to ensure you’re taking care of your overall well-being. But if your To Do list is longer than the hours available in your day, your health may start to suffer. In which case, it’s time to establish some boundaries to give you what you ultimately need – time freedom. 

What is Time Freedom? 

In simple terms, time freedom is about having that all-important work/life balance. It’s having the flexibility to choose how you spend your hours, days, and weeks – working whenever and wherever you want. 

But from a well-being perspective, it’s about way more than that. 

Ultimately, time freedom means a healthy balance between the time you spend on a range of activities; from work and personal pursuits, to leisure, relationships, and self-care. With time freedom, you get to make conscious choices about how you allocate your time, based on your goals and the things that matter to you. 

The Health Benefits of Time Freedom

Remember when you were a child, and you got to do the things you loved? What were your hobbies when you were younger? What if you could spend time on them now? Spending time outdoors with your furry friend may seem like such a simple pleasure, but if it brings you joy and makes you feel good, why not prioritise it? 

Time freedom gives you that option to choose what your life’s priorities are, how you want to spend your time. And having balance in all areas of your life is essential for positive well-being. Because if you spend all your time working, and little time for life’s pleasures, you could be at risk of burnout. Here are some ways time freedom can benefit you from a health perspective. 

Physical health benefits 

When you have a healthy balance of work, rest, and play, you get to enjoy the physical benefits that come with it. Whether you choose gentle walks or strength training in your local gym, you get to make your physical health a priority. What’s more, exercise, together with rest-time and a healthy diet, helps to promote good sleep hygiene. And good sleep is essential for your overall well-being. 

Mental health benefits

Do you work so hard on your business some days that by bedtime, your brain feels mashed? All work and no play isn’t great for the grey matter, either. By having more time and freedom for yourself, your mind is clearer, you’re more focused, and you feel like you can achieve anything. Conversely, constantly having too much to think about is a recipe for overwhelm.

Emotional benefits 

This one is very closely linked to the benefits to your mental health, as feeling under pressure can bring up a whole host of negative emotions such as anger, irritability, and anxiety; none of which are good for your health if they become a long-term issue. 

Having the freedom to balance your work and life can help to bring a sense of calm and clarity, and you’ll find yourself feeling a lot happier in your life choices as a result. 

Hobbies – Doing things you love 

Do you remember those days, growing up, when you would lose hours reading a book? Or how you would hook up with friends, passing time in the company of those you loved? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to try climbing, or join an art class. Having the freedom to spend time doing what you love is a huge benefit, and tantamount to a balanced and happy life.  

With all of these benefits combined, you’ll have more energy, feel more positive, and feel ready for anything. You could be unstoppable. 

The Difference Between Time Freedom and Time Management 

Having time freedom – the flexibility to live your life how you choose – is great. But time freedom is not the same as time management. Time management is about managing your time in order to get things done. 

And as an entrepreneur with a busy life, you might appreciate some tips on how to manage your time more effectively, which we’ll look at below. 

How to Create More Time for Yourself to Achieve a Healthy Balance

We live in a hustle culture, and if we’re not careful, living this lifestyle long-term can lead to a serious case of burnout. These days, it’s all about knowing how to work smarter, not harder. So to help boost your productivity and create more time freedom, check out these time management tips below: 

1. Time Blocking – as the name suggests, you divide your time into blocks – such as 15, 30, 60 minutes or more. Work out when you’re at your most alert, and prioritise the challenging or important tasks first. Focus only on each task and avoid distractions. When your time is up, move on to the next task.
   
   
2. The Pomodoro Technique – this is a time management method involving 25-minute focused work sessions, or “Pomodoros,” followed by a 5-minute break. The idea is that it helps to improve focus and productivity by breaking tasks into manageable intervals, minimising burnout, and keeping your mind sharp.
   
   
3. Progress over perfection – the internet is full of beautiful looking websites and Instagram feeds, but what’s important to remember is that those businesses didn’t start out like that. The important thing is to keep moving your business forward and focus on making money. 
   
   
4. Automation – as an online business owner, automating things like your email marketing can be a game changer. While it might take some work to set up in the beginning, once it’s done, it simply keeps working for you in the background. With technology these days, there are so many things that can be automated to make your life simpler. 
   
   
5. Outsource – one of the best ways to help you manage your time – and free up more time for yourself – is outsourcing some of your workload. Focus your time on the tasks that you’re best at, and outsource those you either don’t love, or aren’t so great at.  

Having an online business is about more than being a service provider or selling a product. There’s the administration, the marketing, the finances. Not to mention all the techy parts, like updating (or setting up) your website, creating email funnels, and of course, the time needed to write those emails to your audience in the first place. 

If you need someone to help with any aspect of your long business to do list, get in touch today.