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Whether you are working 40+ hours a week or building your own company, having a good work/life balance is extremely important. Sure, having a lot of money is fun, but if you are always tired and never get to spend time with your friends and family, is it really worth it? While starting your own business is certainly a rewarding experience, not taking the time to enjoy yourself outside of your work can take a huge toll on your physical, spiritual and mental health.
So, if you find that you’re constantly buried in your work, it’s important to step back and consider the areas of your personal life that you may be neglecting. Here’s how I was able to build a healthy social and dating life while growing my startup — and how you can do it, too.
Related: How to Be an Entrepreneur and Have a Life!
The importance of balance
At the beginning of 2020, I decided to put my entire life savings into starting a software startup in my parents’ basement. The best part was, I was 19 years old and had no startup experience.
The only thing I had going for me was the desire to succeed. To turn my idea into a reality, I decided to go into grind mode. Grind mode is a period where I don’t hang with any friends, don’t go on any dates or travel anywhere. This period is specifically set to achieve a specific goal.
For building my software startup, six months was a perfect period to put my head down and grind. During these six months, I didn’t have any issues with mental health or boredom. The only thing I was thinking about was the finished product.
After the six-month period, I did some light socializing here and there, but my personal life slowly started to drift downhill. I wasn’t losing passion for what I was doing. I loved working with trends and helping creators. But the constant work and lack of human interaction outside of work slowly destroyed me. This was when I realized I needed to have balance in my life.
Related: Science Knows You Need to Get a Life Outside of Work. This Is How You Do It.
How I built a social life
As far as my spiritual, physical and financial, those were all good at the time. The areas I was lacking in were family, social, dating and …….