With my constant travel schedule and reliance on apps to help run my business, it’s no wonder I’m a self-professed smartphone addict. While it offers so much convenience for my life as an entrepreneur, the recent addition to our family has served as an extra reminder about the importance of maintaining a work-life balance–something that a smartphone often infringes upon.
It’s taught me how to look for specific ways
to ensure that my smartphone is not offsetting the work-life balance I’ve been striving to achieve, despite my workaholic bent. By sharing these with my fellow entrepreneurs, I hope to influence more people to put their smartphones in their place.Here are some strategies I’ve implemented that have helped make my smartphone less of a distraction:
- Set a usage schedule. While this can be tricky, since most of us are practically running our businesses from our smartphones, it is possible. I created an alert on my smartphone that told me when it was time to step away from it, including texts, social media, email, and browsing. Typically, I have my usage schedule for chunks of time in the early morning, midday, and later in the evening. There are times where I may have to take a call, but typically everything else can wait until a designated period of time.
- Establish technology-free days or vacations. I designate a day or two each month where I step away from my smartphone for the entire day, or for designated days during a vacation with my family. This ensures I spend quality time outdoors or with my wife and daughter, friends, and family. It’s been the most difficult thing I’ve had to do, but this way, I am able to make the most of that time.
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John Rampton is the founder of Palo Alto, California-based Due, a free online invoicing company specializing in helping businesses bill their client easily online. You can connect with him @johnrampton.
BusinessCollective, launched in partnership with Citi, is a virtual mentorship program powered by North America’s most ambitious young thought leaders, entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners.