The 9 Best Ways To Balance Marriage And Business

Being married to an entrepreneur is a difficult journey for some. Many of these couples sail through troubled waters in their marriages and may even end up divorced.

If you are an entrepreneur, is your marriage doomed to fail? Absolutely not.

Entrepreneurs are passionate about their business and passionate about their marriages. One should not cancel the other out. 

The trick to having a successful marriage is to be balanced. Focusing on your marriage can help your business just as focusing on your business can bring financial success and stability into your relationship. But you must work to find a harmonious balance to be successful in both.

When you're a natural-born entrepreneur, it's normal to want to put business first in your life. But when does taking care of your business trump married life and vice versa? 

Here are 9 of the best tips on what you can do to balance marriage and business.

1. Table Work-Talk

Your newest client does not want to hear about your marriage. Similarly, your partner does not want to hear about work all the time. Be balanced when you make conversation, especially if your partner already feels intimidated or inferior to your workplace.

2. Have Tech-Free Time

Your smart device can make your life a lot easier. But how about your marriage?

From your mobile device, you can send and receive messages, photos, work e-mails, and manage your social media accounts for your business. You can do this on your public commute to work, on your lunch break, and yes, from home.

This may be convenient for you, but your spouse probably won't feel as appreciative of your tech as you do.

Research shows that being glued to your cellphone while around your partner leads to depression and a significant decline in marital satisfaction.

When you are around your spouse, be present with them. Put away your cellphone and any other distractions. Let your spouse know that they have your undivided attention.

3. Do the Little Things

A healthy marriage is all about the little things like having coffee together in the morning, not forgetting to use basic manners and being thoughtful.

Look for ways to make your spouse's day happier or easier. Make breakfast, offer to pick the kids up from school, tidy up around the house. These are simple things that will make your partner feel loved.

"Gratitude is another easy way to make your spouse happy"

Studies show that gratitude was one of the highest predictors in marital happiness. Couples who regularly expressed appreciation for one another reported higher levels of intimacy, commitment, and relationship satisfaction.

4. Understand the Value of Communication

As a business-minded person, you know the value of communication at work. It leads to bigger sales, happier customers, and better workplace cooperation.

The same is true for communication in your marriage.

Couples who communicate are more satisfied in their relationship. They feel heard, respected, and validated.

These are important aspects of both business and marriage.

Talk to your spouse regularly and connect on an emotional level. This will keep your relationship strong.

5. Check-In Regularly

Monthly marriage checks are a great way to stay balanced when married to an entrepreneur.

Keep the marriage check-in minimal - twenty minutes at most. 

Use this time to talk about how your work-life balance is going. 

Since research suggests that at least 90 percent of entrepreneurial start-ups will fail, you may also want to use this time to have a financial check-in with your spouse.

6. Make Date Night a Priority

If you want to learn how to be happily married to an entrepreneur, you must teach them the importance of date night.

Having a regular date night will ensure your partner has guaranteed quality time with you every week. 

The National Marriage Project revealed that spending time together regularly boosts couple’s communication, intimate satisfaction, and significantly lowers the probability of divorce.

No talking about work or work-related subjects on date night. This is for romance only!

Couple time is important to your marriage and overall happiness - and the happier you are at home, the more productive you will be at work.

7.  Work Smarter

One way you can maintain a healthy work-life balance is by creating small, achievable daily goals.

Using to-do lists, detailed calendars, and self-imposed deadlines can be a great motivation to work smarter, not harder.

Prepare for meetings well in advance. This will help you utilize your time wisely.

When you schedule your days, you have more time to spend with your spouse and more encouragement to stay motivated to meet your deadlines.

8. Schedule Work Hours

When you are married to an entrepreneur, you know your spouse is not tied down to the typical 9-5 work hours. This gives you the freedom to live as you please. 

Trying not to "bring work home", but that can be difficult, especially if they do work from home.

If that is the case, schedule at home 'work hours' and confine your work to a designated office or room. This way your spouse knows that while you are in your office, you are in work mode.

Once your designated time to stop arrives, save your progress and pick it up again the next day.

Your business deserves your time and energy, but so does your spouse. Save a little love for them at the end of the day.

9. Focus on Your Mental Health

Stress levels rise when we are feeling overwhelmed or overworked. It is natural to feel worn down or anxious while running your own business and trying to maintain a happy marriage.

Depression and anxiety affect millions of people worldwide. Such disorders can affect your productivity at work and deplete the energy you could be giving to your spouse.

You may feel like you have a hundred different things to do in the week, but don't forget to make self-care a priority. Take at least fifteen minutes a day to practice self-care. Take a bath, read a book, meditate, sit outside - do something that reduces your stress.

Entrepreneurs succeed in business and marriage when they learn to work smarter, take care of their mental and physical health, make date night a priority, and strive to communicate effectively at home.