As an entrepreneur and business owner I don’t need to tell you how hard it is to decide when to leave work for the day. You are constantly putting in balance the mountain of workload that still has to be done against spending time with your family and friends, working out, getting enough sleep, etc. In comparison with many other jobs, you are faced with the tough decision of leaving the office for the day. And if you’re often second guessing yourself, feeling bad you left work early, you should probably stop doing that. It’s detrimental to you, your business and your health.
For example, if you’ve launched your startup only a couple of months ago, the workload could rightfully tip the scale in its favor. Spending most of your time at the office, working hard and punching in long hours is not a myth. Don’t start buying into the people that tell you otherwise because they probably haven’t really started a company. Still, if you’re running a ship through some clear waters and you’ve been constantly managing the wheel of the vessel over many years, you are entitled to some R&R.
Believe it or not, leaving on time will help you become a better leader. When your employees see that you are 24/7 at the office, they will feel a great deal of pressure, even though you try to explain to them why you do this. Save yourself some trouble and let them know it’s alright if they regularly leave on time. If you do this, they will surely follow. Moreover, this also grants you “the power” to ask your employees to work late hours when an important project is due.
Taking time for yourself leads to an improved work quality. If you make a habit out of leaving on time, this means you have enough time to go to the gym, spend precious time with your children, parents, wife or husband, friends, read a book, relax and even explore some of your hobbies. If you are able to keep work related at bay when you are at home, all of the above mentioned things will definitely help you improve your work quality.
Working overtime and productivity do not seem to fare well together. Has the mindset of “I’ll do it later tonight” ever proven its utility? I honestly doubt it. In fact, the only thing you do by adopting this mindset is providing the illusion for yourself that you have more time when you actually don’t. And once you start entertaining this illusion, you will lack the pressure that usually arises when you know it’s time to stop. By committing to leaving the office at a certain time on a daily basis, you will become far more motivated. Also, you will be able to pinpoint and prioritize the most urgent tasks you should be doing.
Leaving on time will offer you a clear path to becoming a better person. If you decide to leave work on time and use that precious time you would otherwise spend in the office without doing something productive, you will end up growing as a person. If you had to choose one of the two, who would you rather be: a person who doesn’t have a life outside of work, or a person who takes care of his/her health, spends time with the people he/she love and cultivates his/hers mind? Taking some time for yourself will not only allow you to perform better at work, but it will also provide you with something all people should strive for: a multi-dimensional life.
As an entrepreneur one of the best ways to become disciplined is by leaving on time. Leaving on time, while still getting the most important work done, proves that you are a disciplined individual. Forget about meetings that do not produce any noteworthy results, 3-4 page emails, and definitely procrastination. Being disciplined could work wonders for you because it has a positive impact on your ability to get the urgent tasks done while also providing you with countless benefits as far as your job and life are concerned.
Don’t believe me? Try it and see how it will have a positive impact on your business and your life.
