Is Work Life Balance Truly Possible for a Life Coach?

If you’re serious about creating success as a life coach, you’re probably expecting (or experiencing) the overwhelm of growing your own business.

You might be working long hours in your office, answering emails after hours, and even waking up early to go through your plans before starting your day.

But what if there was another way to get all this done, while still enjoying your family and friends, and having fun along the way?

After all, the best life coaches don’t just have thriving businesses; they prioritize time with friends, family, travel, and everything else that brings them joy and fulfillment! We call this full-spectrum success.

The same is possible for you.

If you’d love to learn how you can be a successful business owner and change agent, while achieving a healthy work-life balance as a life coach, let’s get right into it!

What Do We Mean by Work Life Balance and Why Is It Important?

Most people visualize a healthy work-life balance as having the time and energy for:

• Their Work & Social Life
• Physical Health & Personal Development
• Ample Time for Friends, Family, and Self-Care
• A Balance Between Their Personal Time & Professional Life

Of course, how you define work-life balance is ultimately yours to decide!

The challenge most people face is feeling like they have to choose between a successful coaching business and time with family and loved ones.

But you can have both! As you coach others in creating work-life balance, you’ll also learn the tools to create even more for yourself.

Taking care of YOU is essential to your success as a life coach!

Because when you learn to take care of yourself – you’ll be able to pour so much more into your clients, loved ones, and your dreams.

Let’s carry that energy of self-love forward with the first tip in creating work-life balance as a life coach:

Create and Respect Your Boundaries with Clients

Early on, I’ve found that it helps to create boundaries around what you will and won’t do.

That means having realistic expectations regarding how long you’ll be able to dedicate yourself to client life coaching sessions and managing how your clients communicate with you.

Creating these boundaries allows you to set aside enough space to enjoy other parts of your life, without feeling guilty!

Here are some boundaries you can implement with your life coaching clients:

1. Set Office Hours as a Coach So That You Aren’t Tending to Clients 24/7. There should be times when you are available for your clients, but not always. For example, on days you’re not answering phone calls or decide to completely unplug from work (like weekends and holidays) make a “not-in-office” automatic email responder.

Furthermore, set your coaching sessions to 45-50 minutes so that you have a bathroom break between sessions.

2. Control When, Where and How People Can Contact You. In addition to setting office hours, you can decide when, where, and even how people can reach out to you. Depending on your preference, you might use social media accounts such as Instagram or Facebook to communicate with people, or you could set up a private email address or communication channels like Slack, Trello, or Asana. It all depends on what feels right for you and your clients. 

3. Be Clear About What You Expect from Your Clients. What level of accountability does your session include? How can clients best prepare before their coaching sessions with you? How often will they need to connect with you?

If you give them a specific timeline, they’ll usually follow through because it gives them ownership over their progress. The same goes for expectations regarding your relationship with them. Make it clear from the beginning that this isn’t a one-way street and that you’re here to support them, not judge them.

That’s why having a repeatable, predictable structure makes the process easier for both you and your client. It can be an overwhelming part of business, which is also why it’s a part of our coaching training program here at the Brave Thinking Institute!

When you create boundaries, what you’re actually doing is honoring your time freedom and work-life balance as a life coach in two key ways:

First, you’ll have more energy left over to focus on your personal life.

Second, you’ll be able to put less pressure on yourself to meet unrealistic deadlines or expectations.

Both of those things balance out the scales between client care and self-care.

Learn the Art of Prioritizing Work

It took me years to figure out what was truly important to me and what wasn’t. Once I did, it became easier to focus on the tasks that were most important and less likely to distract me.

When we feel overwhelmed and put high-priority projects on the same level as everyday tasks, our bodies tend to shut down and get easily distracted.

Next time your mind starts swimming with chores, projects, emails, cooking, and everything in between, try this:

1. Get out a piece of paper and pencil and write down everything you have to do. Think of it as a “brain dump” and put everything down regardless of priority or necessity. Time yourself for 1-5 minutes.

For example:

• Take the kids to school
• Send client contracts
• Email the event coordinator about my upcoming keynote
• Try that new smoothie recipe for lunch
• Clean the bathroom
• Do laundry
• Walk the dog
• 3 life coaching sessions
• Go to the store
• Meditate
• etc…

2. After you spend a few minutes filling out your paper, go through your list and circle the 3 most important tasks. These are tasks that would make your day feel complete and create tangible progress.

3. Review those 3 items and reflect on whether or not they would really move you forward. If not, skip them. This will help you identify things that would usually cause you to procrastinate.

4. If you cross off one of the top 3, go back through your list and see if there are any other tasks that could replace it as a priority.

5. Choose one of your top 3 tasks and dedicate one minute to it. This helps you break the ice of “starting” and build momentum!

The first thing you will likely notice after completing this exercise is that you feel less guilty about putting off certain tasks. 

The second thing you’ll notice is that you have more focus on the things you care about. Your priorities have shifted to reflect what’s most important to you.

It may sound easy, but it can take weeks of consistent effort to get into this routine. Try breaking it up into short periods of time throughout the week and see what works for you.

Embrace Delegation and Automation

There is no doubt that delegating tasks will free up your time and allow you to focus on what matters most as a life coach – helping people!

If you find yourself struggling to keep up with clients, you may consider hiring a virtual assistant who will take care of administrative tasks so you can focus on growing your business.

On top of freeing up more time, you’ll also release tasks that you don’t love doing to someone who actually enjoys doing them!

If you don’t feel ready to delegate just yet, you could start by automating the most repetitive parts of your coaching business. You can:

• Use an autoresponder service to send daily/weekly notes to your clients.
• Automate client meetings or discovery calls by scheduling interviews using a platform such as Calendly and Zoom.
• Have your client schedule appointments via your calendar.
• Create automated follow-ups to ensure clients receive all correspondence.
• Set up auto-pay for client invoices.

Automation allows you to set aside time for what you want to do, rather than spending chunks of time on mundane tasks such as sending emails and client reminders.

As a result, you can invest more time in activities that fuel growth and lead to greater success for both you and your clients.

Plan and Take More Break Times

One of the easiest, nourishing things you can do for yourself every day is take consistent, planned breaks. We all need at least 5 minutes every hour to unwind from our busy lives.

While it may seem like a small amount of time, you’d be surprised how difficult it can be to fit rest into your day when you’re not used to prioritizing it.

This means taking some time away from your computer screen to step outside, breathe fresh air, and connect with nature.

In addition to getting some physical activity in, taking a walk around your neighborhood, going for a run or even just sitting quietly on a park bench is another great way to clear your mind.

At a minimum, try stimulating your vagus nerve to relieve stress and anxiety.

Taking regular breaks helps you stay focused, reduces stress levels and boosts creativity. It also gives you the opportunity to think about what you’re working on.

Disconnecting from work can be a powerful reset, and I encourage you to do it before reaching a state of overwhelm.

Unplug

During your scheduled break times, consider doing something other than mindlessly scrolling through your phone. Meditate, dance like no one’s watching, check up on loved ones, or simply read a book. Whatever you choose, use these moments to recharge and reconnect with yourself.

When work gets overwhelming, it’s easy to become stressed and anxious. Taking time off to relax regularly can help alleviate those feelings. Give yourself time to sleep well, eat healthy food, and exercise.

You don’t have to go overboard; 30 minutes of meditation or yoga each morning can help ease any anxiety you might feel before tackling your next task.

It doesn’t matter if you only manage 15 minutes during your lunch break! I encourage you to pause, unplug from your devices, and eat away from your desk.

Remember that these small changes create progress towards a more balanced life.

Create an Environment That Supports Your Goals

Clutter can cause you to lose sight of your goals, and heighten overwhelm, stress, and anxiety. Avoid keeping piles of paper, receipts and junk mail in your office—you might be tempted to sort them instead of focusing on your projects.

Don’t forget about your living room, too. You can create a “work-free zone” by turning off the TV, rolling out a yoga mat, and turning “Do Not Disturb” mode on your devices.

Try to schedule workouts and other activities around when you’ll have energy. For example, you may not want to schedule a workout after office hours because you’ll likely be tired and less productive.

Consider scheduling your most important tasks first thing in the morning, so they aren’t competing with anything else.

This approach will make it easier to get things done, especially if you’re the type of person who needs to finish a project before being fully able to fully relax and unwind.

Exercise and Meditate

Exercise and meditation are two things that can really help you relax and recharge! Personally, dancing is one of my favorite ways to release tension and energy. It’s also fun!

If you don’t already have a routine, try starting with just one thing for a week. Then add another. Try to keep it simple and easy.

Here are a few tips to help you set up a regular practice:

• Start slowly. Don’t force yourself to do 30+ minutes right away. Prioritize consistency and then increase time from there!

• Use your favorite music. It’ll help you stay motivated and focused! Guided meditations during yoga or stretching are also good options.

• Do whatever feels good. Flow with what moves you! Exercise doesn’t have to be weightlifting or training for a marathon (as amazing as those options may be for many). You can explore dance, pilates, yoga, etc. The key is to enjoy what you’re doing!

Spend More Time on Meaningful Relationships

A large part of finding work-life balance as a life coach is surrounding yourself with positive relationships. 

 You could start by joining groups on social media.

For example, we have dedicated Facebook communities for our coaching programs here at the Brave Thinking Institute. Our students love having this supportive family of mentors, peers, and partners in believing. 

Connecting deeply with your network helps you feel supported and connected. In turn, this gives you motivation to continue moving forward.

There are many different ways to connect with others, including online groups (like Facebook Groups), meetups, forums, LinkedIn Group discussions, and private coaching clients.

Connecting deeply with others makes us happier, healthier, and better able to cope with challenges.

And when you surround yourself with supportive networks, you’ll feel stronger and less alone. 

I encourage you to spend time with people who appreciate you, care about you, and love where you’re going in life.

Because spending time with people who bring joy into your life is essential to maintaining balance in the busyness of life.

Additionally, happiness and positivity play an integral role in building confidence and self-esteem. People who truly love you will support your career goals and help you create a healthy work-life balance. 

As a result, you’ll feel valued, respected, and raise your overall life satisfaction!

The Fastest Way to Create Work Life Balance as a Life Coach

Many people think that achieving work-life balance involves investing a lot of time up front in order to gain more freedom later on – but it doesn’t have to be that way.

But what if it were easy?

Here at the Brave Thinking Institute, our coaching certification program attracts people with a sacred calling: 

To empower people to create a life they love and make their own dreams come true!

And one of the most important dreams that many of us carry is to do work that fulfills us and use our  time to enjoy life to the fullest!

The tips and techniques that I’ve shared with you today will help you better understand how to achieve work-life balance as a life coach.

But if you’d love an accelerated path to full-spectrum success, I invite you to download our free Coaching Success Blueprint!

You’ll get immediate access to a wealth of knowledge and resources about:

• What coaches need to quickly get started (even without any prior coaching experience).
• How to leave behind an unfulfilling career and replace your current income (at a minimum).
• The 3 traits every successful coach must have if they’re going to make a real impact and build a thriving business.
• Common pitfalls that keep many beginner coaches stuck in a life of unfulfillment and poor work-life balance (and how you can avoid them to start making a huge impact from day one).

Make the balance as easy as possible for you to achieve with a single, comprehensive roadmap and start your coaching journey with us today.

To enjoying a life of balance,

Jennifer Joy Jiménez