Do you live to work? Or do you work to live? As similar as these two adages may sound, each result in a lifestyle and state-of-mind that couldn’t be further apart. The unfortunate reality is that many business owners – more specifically in the SMME space – are working over-time, putting in excessive hours, and burning the candle at both ends.

A healthy work-life balance has a myriad of positive spill over effects, namely reduced stress levels, a lower risk of burnout and an enhanced sense of well-being, which not only benefits employees but employers too. But for many, this illusive balance between one’s work commitments and personal life is still somewhat of a pipedream.

Mental health is an increasingly grave concern in the accounting sector – with 98% of accountants saying they’re stressed. What’s more, the accounting landscape has been deemed to lack the necessary support to assist in such a considerable problem. As an accountant, it’s only a matter of time before such exceedingly high-pressure levels start impacting your relationships, your body, and your mind and the questions remain: What is the breaking point? And where does it leave you, your business, and your employees? Rather than throwing in the towel and convincing yourself you’re not cut out for it all together, consider putting boundaries and solutions in place to give you peace of mind – and that much-needed space to breath.

STEP 1 The first step to dealing with your habit of over working and taking on too much, is admitting you have a problem. But before rolling your eyes and passing this off as something only those vested in AA are tasked with, hear us out… After functioning in a high-pressure environment for so long, you might not even realise just how highly strung, stressed out, and exhausted you are. With your body in fight mode, it’s crucial to take a step back and assess the situation. Living in a hyper-aware world affords us access to a plethora of tools that show us what is normal and what isn’t, even if our bodies and minds can’t identify that for us. Taking a burnout quiz is a seamless and productive way to understand where you’re at in terms of your stress-levels so you can objectively adjust from there.

STEP 2 Now that you’ve figured out where you’re at, it’s time to implement ways to identify and correct the root causes of your stress and establish steps to avoid the same issues going forward. As a business owner with an ever-expanding to-do list, it can become second nature to work more than 40 hours a week, take on too much when you’re already at capacity, and handle everything yourself instead of delegating tasks.

Sometimes, addressing these concerns can be as simple as mapping out some ground rules for yourself – and then sticking to them! For instance, if you’re too exhausted after working a 12-hour day to spend time with your family, consider clocking out earlier. If you need to work after hours, take an hour or two over lunch to fetch the kids and take them for an ice cream.

Become passionately possessive over your free time. Give yourself enough hours in the evenings and over weekends to unwind, relax and reset ahead of the grind. And yes, that means switching off your email to avoid an expectation that you’re always online and available.

If you’re looking to free up some time and eliminate tasks off your to-do list entirely then it might be worth your while to automate some of your more repetitive tasks with cloud accounting software. Automation is an investment that essentially pays for itself!

Delegation is also an incredible way to alleviate pressure and allows you to empower your employees and give them space to grow by taking on more responsibility within the business. This is a far cry from letting go of the reigns entirely, so fret not! It merely means that you can take a step back and focus on finding your balance again.

STEP 3 To further lighten the load, you need to plan time for your loved ones, and all-importantly, yourself, your health, and your wellness. While you might be accustomed to working hard, there’s no time like the present to learn to work smarter!

Block book key times in your calendar when you can focus on and complete priority tasks. Blocking this time will notify your team not to interrupt you, which means you’ll get through your list faster – and more efficiently.

Then, equally significant, you need to schedule time for non-work-related tasks such as going for a run, seeing your counsellor, or taking the weekend off with your family. These slots should be both non-negotiable and planned, so your team is aware of your commitment to your health, wellness, and family.