The Direct Selling industry has been creating self-employment opportunities in the country. It is often seen as an unconventional path. Initially, it was predominantly a male-oriented industry with fewer women opting to become direct sellers. However, the number of women in direct selling has been increasing over the years.
Direct selling has certainly provided a great advantage, especially to women, by giving them the opportunity to choose their own working hours. Essentially, making them their own bosses. Even though direct selling affords time, one might still find it hard to maintain a work-life balance. Especially women who have got to take care of their family and complete chores at home. Working women often tend to have a hard time managing their homes while also spending time building their direct selling business.
So, here are a few ways to establish a work-life balance for women in direct selling with QNET India.
Work-life balance for women in direct selling
Direct selling requires a person to invest time and effort. While building a business, a woman might find it hard to dedicate enough time either due to personal priorities or commitment towards work. Now, a woman in direct selling needs to be smart in allocating time to ensure that she does not miss out on opportunities at work while also being able to give enough time for the family. So, let’s look at a few active ways to bring a work-life balance while being a direct seller with QNET –
1) Schedule tasks
Our days are often categorised into tasks. The tasks can range from urgent to not urgent, important to not important. For a woman actively looking to grow her direct selling business, it is essential to prioritise tasks based on how urgent and how important it is.
If a particular task is not urgent and not important, then the best thing is to take it off the schedule until all important tasks are completed. For instance, it could be rearranging the room or cupboard. It is not urgent and certainly not important when we compare them to other tasks.
If the task is urgent, then the most viable option is to complete it. If the task is important and not urgent, then she must schedule it for some other time during the day and complete it as planned. For instance, brushing up on presentation skills is an important task, but it can be scheduled as per one’s feasibility. Or spending time with the family at the dinner table is another important task. It is important to schedule and block the time for that specific activity.
A To-Do list is one of the best options to keep in check of all tasks while being able to schedule them as per one’s needs. Scheduling tasks and micro-management is the key to ensuring work-life balance. This brings us to the next important point when it comes to maintaining a work-life balance.
2) Prioritising and delegating
A woman’s life is filled with responsibilities, right from taking care of the family as a homemaker to attending to the day-to-day activities of a business. It becomes crucial for a woman to delegate and prioritise tasks as per the situation.
An urgent presentation meeting with a prospect cannot be pushed or delegated. However, if there is a task that doesn’t require physical presence or can be done by someone else, then delegation could be a suitable solution. However, task delegation doesn’t mean that a woman must run away from the responsibility. If one runs away from their responsibilities, they would end up ruining their work-life balance. On the contrary, we’re referring to taking responsibility while being conscious about one’s time.
3) Having an honest communication
A woman needs to understand that she cannot be present everywhere. In fact, a woman tends to feel overworked when she does too much work in too less time. In the end, the woman gets into a position of quitting direct selling to manage other responsibilities.
The important thing to avoid such a situation is to have an honest conversation. It could be with a loved one or a family member. A woman must explain the importance of the time that one would require to achieve the goal that sometimes she might not be able to be present. On the other hand, honest communications at work are equally important. For instance, one might want to draw the line and explain the importance of devoting a certain amount of time for their family and not being assigned work during those hours. These communications can create time keyframes and allows the individual to commit to a task or an activity without the fear of mission out or not being there when one is required.
Sometimes, honest communication with oneself is also an important task. ‘Can I provide the necessary time to make my business successful?’ Or ‘Am I driving the business down due to an anchor?’ If I cannot give it the necessary amount of time, then perhaps it is time to focus on family or a different venture.
It is an understandable situation as direct selling requires commitment. On the other hand, a break could also be a healthy option to get back on track with the goals.
4) Asking for help
This is one of the most ignored solutions when it comes to managing time. People often tend to do too much by themselves that they forget to avail help. Sometimes, people are also afraid to ask for help because they assume that they might get turned down.
However, asking for help during tough deadlines could be crucial. The best thing is to for ask help with task completion. A woman might find herself juggling around too many tasks and might be facing burnout. This situation requires a woman to slow down and take a breather. Perhaps, even focus on the larger picture to maintain good health and happy family life. After taking the time to fix the fundamental elements of life, perhaps she can get back to growing business, making oneself indispensable with time.
5) Spending time with family
One of the most important things that a woman would find herself ignoring while trying to run a business is family time. Family and friends are important for a person’s well-being. A woman needs to be aware of the time she allocates for work. Otherwise, there is a good chance that she may not be able to spend time with her loved ones.
Spending time with loved ones can be an instant cure for stress and pressure that one might experience due to work. In fact, sometimes giving them time becomes a stressful task. Women must ensure that they can spend time with their family and friends. It is one of the best ways to ensure that they are performing at their best in their business.
Women empowerment is often synonymous with providing women with equal opportunities as men. However, the idea is to understand that women are already equal to men and must have equal opportunities to represent themselves in every sector. Women in direct selling are strong, hardworking and have the capability to make a change!
I hope this article gives all the women a better understanding of how to maintain a better work-life balance in their lives. For more perspectives on QNET and its business opportunity, visit the QNET India website!
