How to Balance Business Ownership & Life
Founder's Daily Priorities
Mental/Emotional Health
Personal Development
Physical Health
Relationships
Deep Work
Yes, “work” is only 1 of 5 priorities! 😱 If you are able to proactively accomplish something in each of these categories on a near-daily basis, I can almost guarantee that your work/life balance, your relationships, and your happiness as a business owner will improve. Think there's no way in hell you could incorporate “more” into your daily schedule? Read on to find out how I do it.
Mental/Emotional Health
You can't continuously operate at a high-level of thought, innovation and production, if you're not proactively addressing your mental and emotional needs. Here are a few ways that I manage mine on the daily:
Scheduled 'Me' Time: I am not a morning person, and and I know this about myself. I deliberately block off recurring time on my calendar for “slow mornings” from 8-10am, every weekday. In this time, I may meditate, read, exercise, or work, but I will not take calls. This is MY time, and I guard it protectively.
Meditation: I take 15-20m most mornings to meditate, following the Ziva Meditation structure [add link] or using a free guided meditation from the app Insight Timer [add link]. I started this years ago, and it has drastically improved my mood, anxiety levels, clarity of thought, and emotional volatility.
White Space: I am introverted, and my anxiety and overwhelm tend to skyrocket when I have a lot of calls scheduled in the day. I need time in between to process, prioritize, and prepare - so I implemented 15 minute buffers around all of the meeting types in my scheduling tool. This “time to think” is imperative to my ability to function at the highest level for my clients throughout the day. Check out the book “A Minute to Think” by Juliet Funt for more details on White Space [link to site].
Nature: Something about staring at greenery is calming and de-exciting to the nervous system. I have a lot of plants in my home & workspace, and if I'm feeling overwhelmed I will spend time watering them, or stand on my balcony and watch the trees swaying in the wind. You could also go for a walk outdoors, visit a nearby park, or take your dog out.
Personal Development
This one is easy to overlook and put aside for “more important” tasks, but it's kind of cool how a few minutes here and there spent learning something new and being exposed to different perspectives can really keep your mind sharp and the connections flowing.
Read: Preferably something designed to inform, persuade or educate (not the news). I have a subscription to the Harvard Business Review and will leave editions open to my last page around my apartment, so that when I pass by and have a moment I can read a few pages. I save interesting links that I come across to read later, and have a stack of books-in-progress on my bedside table to choose from. Audiobooks also count, and are great if you have a longer commute or while running mindless errands.
Podcasts: Everyone and their Grandma has a podcast these days, so you don’t have to go far to find one that strikes your fancy. Whether you want to stay in the business learning and leadership space, or go down a rabbit hole of niche scientific topics, there’s something for everyone. The point is that it’s easy to branch out of the potential echo chamber of your peer group to obtain new knowledge and perspectives, and listening to other people “think out loud” can be a useful stimulus to get your brain moving too.
AI Processing: One of the most underrated tools in my toolbox is AI - yep, like ChatGPT. I use it as a way to process my thoughts, talk through ideas, and clarify what I’m actually trying to say or do. This kind of mental offloading ties directly into emotional health—but it’s also personal development, because it helps me notice patterns, challenge assumptions, and grow through self-awareness. It’s not about outsourcing thinking—it’s about creating space for it. There are TONS of prompts out there designed to help you learn more about yourself; use ‘em!
Physical Health
I know, I know — you're busy. Me too. But as someone who used to burn out hard trying to juggle client deliverables and everything else in my life, I’m telling you: you are your biggest asset. If you’re chronically underslept, malnourished, or glued to your desk all day, you're setting yourself (and your business) up for diminishing returns.
Walks & Movement Snacks: I don’t have time to hit the gym for 90 minutes a day, and honestly? It’s not a priority right now. Instead, I sprinkle in “movement snacks” — walk-and-talk calls, light stretching during a break, random bodyweight exercises, or alternating sitting with standing work. It’s less about intensity, and more about consistency.
Fuel, not Filler: I don’t meal prep like a fitness influencer, but I do try to eat things that give me real energy. I keep protein-forward snacks around, avoid overdosing on caffeine, and have learned the hard way that skipping meals = cranky Kate.
Sleep = Strategy: I used to think pushing through exhaustion was part of the entrepreneurial badge of honor. Now I know that sleep is literally a productivity tool. I protect my sleep the same way I protect my time: no late-night scrolling, a regular bedtime, and 8-9 hours EVERY night.
Relationships
This one is sneaky. As a business owner, it’s way too easy to let relationships slide when work is demanding. But staying connected to your people—friends, family, community—isn't just a “nice to have.” It's fuel.
Micro-Moments Matter: A quick check-in text, a shared meme, a 20-minute scheduled catch up with a friend—these things count. Don’t underestimate the value of small, consistent connection.
Boundaries Are Love: I don’t take calls after 6pm unless it’s urgent, and I don’t work on weekends so I can be present with my son. That time is sacred, and saying “no” to others is often how I say “yes” to the people who matter most.
No More One-Way Streets: If you’re the one always making the effort—pause and take stock. Business ownership taught me to value mutual energy exchanges in both professional and personal relationships. Not everyone needs access to you, and that’s okay.
Deep Work
This is the part where most people try to start their day, and it’s usually where it ends too—buried under emails, Slack pings, and fire drills. But deep work is where the magic happens: the vision-casting, the systems-building, the thought leadership that actually grows the business.
Time Blocking: I carve out blocks on my calendar specifically for strategy, writing, or solving problems that require big-picture thinking. If I don’t schedule time for it, it certainly doesn’t happen - because space is a vacuum, and it WILL get filled with tedious minutiae if I let it.
Focus Sprints: I’m one of those weirdos who has no trouble locking in for hours at a time, but if you’re not like me, you can use tools like the Pomodoro method or the Forest app to help you focus. Just 45-90 minutes of real, undistracted work can move the needle more than 6 hours of half-focus. Focus is like willpower - the more you use it, the more you have, and the easier it gets to access.
Creative Solitude: Sometimes the best ideas come when you’re not trying to work. I leave room for thought to emerge in the shower, during walks, or even while cooking. Stop filling all of your interim and transition time between tasks, events, and responsibilities. Embrace temporary “boredom”. If you give your brain the space, it’ll do what it does best: create.
Final Thoughts
Look, I get it. You’re juggling a lot—and adding more categories to think about might feel overwhelming at first. But this isn’t about “doing more.” It’s about re-prioritizing the stuff that actually moves the needle—in your business and your life.
When you tend to you, the business benefits. When your calendar reflects your real priorities, not just your to-do list, you build something sustainable. Something that actually supports the life you want—not one that consumes it.
You don’t need to go full monk mode or overhaul your life in a day. Just start small. Pick one area and make a tiny change.
Because the truth is—your business can’t thrive if you’re barely surviving.
