The Introverted Entrepreneur: How to Strike a Balance

100% 

But it takes true intention…

Balancing your business and social life looks a little different for everyone. I think it heavily depends on if you’re an introvert or an extrovert. It is all about finding a balance that works for you. 

Some questions you should ask yourself are…

• How much time per week do I need for self-care? 
• Does socializing energize me or deplete me? 
• How do I know when  I need rest?

Building self-awareness will help you in striking that perfect balance between work, self-care, and social time. 

Self-awareness is key and you can’t run a business without it. At least not a business that is fully aligned with your vision. Do you know what your signs of burnout and exhaustion are? If you don’t you should check out the Maximize piece I wrote on burnout… It might give you a good place to start 😉

Here’s my experience as an introverted entrepreneur: 

When you are naturally introverted, incorporating social time is extremely intentional. My social battery runs low quickly and I cherish my alone time. What that means is that when I have time off from work I am often using it to rest and do self-care. My go-to self-care these days are infrared sauna sessions, reflexology massages, and listening to podcasts about feminine power while taking a walk.

Owning a business goes beyond working with clients. You have administrative, tech, and team-leading responsibilities. As many of you know, the work is endless. I carefully craft my schedule to allow me the time I need to take care of all those duties AND fit in that necessary self-care time. Intentional socializing is the name of the game for me. 

What is intentional socializing? 

I’m lucky enough to have had the same group of incredible friends for most of the 11 years I have owned my business. They know what’s up when it comes to hanging out with me. 

When I say intentional socializing, I mean PLANNING. That’s it. My friends know that I am unlikely to say yes to last-minute plans because I usually already have planned my whole week out. They understand that hanging out with me takes a little planning and that’s ok! They don’t ever make me feel guilty or bad for dedicating time to my business. Or my self-care.

Planning out socializing time actually contributes to my productivity at work as well. Having something fun on the agenda gives me the motivation to get all the work done! Your true friends will help you succeed. I’m so grateful that mine respect my business and boundaries. 

How do you remain social despite working individually? 

A lot of entrepreneurs are a team of 1. Although we have a small team at Obih Collective, we all work independently. The pandemic and remote work culture has made independent work the new norm. The freedom of individual work is incredible, but it makes it easy to go days at a time without seeing another human. 

As much as I love my alone time, I know that I need to socialize. It is important for me to incorporate social interaction into long periods of alone time otherwise I can get stuck in my head. 

When I’m feeling especially isolated, I will put something social on my calendar to make sure I am doing just that. I’ll ask a friend to go for a walk or get dinner. I’ll hop on the phone with my sisters. Sometimes, I even try to take in-person meetings when possible. I’ll  my clients in the area if they’d rather do their meeting over dinner or coffee. 

Moral of the story is… It comes down to intention. Understand who you are and what you need. What works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for you.  It might take some planning, but that perfect balance is within reach.