It’s all about the hustle, it’s all about the grind!

The hard-working modern-day entrepreneur has a couple of online businesses, a few side hustles, and also has their feet in their spouse’s business.

The rewards and satisfaction are tremendous. Its why we entrepreneurs are always working and always productive.

However, as Jack Torrance would say:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Pouring your life into your work has its drawbacks. No, I’m talking about minor drawbacks like not seeing the final Star Wars movie as yet (don’t worry, you haven’t missed anything).

Entrepreneurial life can be taxing on your loved ones and you. I watched my relationships with family and friends fall apart after I became fully entrenched in entrepreneurship.

I did what any person in need of help would do — I sought help online, in chat rooms and forums.

What I found was a community of entrepreneurs that have poor relationships with their loved ones. I compiled some of our common issues and solutions here in this post.

Here are our stories.

Being Married to an Entrepreneur

One of the biggest (and most common) complaints that we entrepreneurs hear is that we do not spend enough quality time with our spouse.

Many of us (including myself) claim that this isn’t true. “I make sure I am done with work at 5 pm so that I can spend time with my wife.” — Only to go home, sit in the loo for half an hour, eat supper, watch tv, and go to sleep.

If you think this is quality time, then you are in denial. Your behavior leaves your wife/husband feeling isolated. They deserve more.

Ideally, they need you to show the same energy and intensity you bring to your cold outreach and product launch campaigns.

If you’re married, a startup competes directly against your marriage — Penelope Trunk

Sadly, this does seem impossible, as you are human and can only accomplish so much in a day, which leaves your partner to ride in the back seat. They didn’t sign up for the back seat. They are here for your love and respect, and you got to give it to them.

Making Time for Your Spouse

Believe it or not, your spouse is not your side hustle. It would help if you bonded with your partner to be able to stay close.

Just being present isn’t intimacy. You both have to keep working with each other to build a stronger relationship.

Sure, there isn’t enough time in the day to accomplish work tasks. However, if you want to make things work with your partner, then you have to try.

Here are some ideas:

Get your spouse to work on a project with you — A recipe for disaster, some might say, but it doesn’t have to be a money-making project. You both can take part in volunteer work, scrapbooking, etc.
Switch Off — Literally switch off all electronic devices when you are home. Eat at the dinner table and engage in intimate conversation.
Be romantic — Dinner at your favorite restaurant, slow walks back home, and it’s only Tuesday night!
Start work earlier — If your spouse is not a morning person, you could try getting to work early to finish off earlier. That extra hour in the evening can mean a lot.
Work out together — That hour you guys spend working out together at the gym is a great bonding experience. Make her your gym partner!

Dating an Entrepreneur

“Entrepreneurship is a young man’s game!” While I mostly agree with this because of the amount of energy required to start a business, a young man still needs a steady partner.

Unfortunately, I see so many young entrepreneurs becoming workaholics that literally get sick with guilt on their days off.

They would rather spend that time catching up on work or getting ahead in their startups bootstrapping process.

The thing is, its absolutely essential to maintain a healthy balance of work, pleasure, and rest.

Yes, endless hours on an Xbox or watching Netflix is bad for you. But swopping that time for work only isn’t good either as it can eventually leave you feeling burnt-out or mentally exhausted.

Similarly, choosing not to date someone over your work can eventually leave you feeling lonely and empty.

On the other hand, choosing to date someone to have little to no time for them will leave them feeling lonely. It’s not a nice feeling to always be waiting to spend time with your partner, which is why so many young entrepreneurs prefer not to date anyone. They want to avoid letting people down.

Making Time for Love

Yes, you’re single, young, in the prime of your life, and your career is booming!

However, as fulfilling as your work may be, dating someone, falling in love, getting married, and having children is important too. It can be defined as part of the reason for our existence.

Of course dating isn't easy and can also seem like valuable time being wasted. But not every second of your life has to be productive.

Meeting someone new, having butterflies in your tummy on your first date, and ending up in a relationship is vital for your mental state. Feeling loved is food for your soul, spirit, and mind. Having a healthy mind can boost your productivity too!

So, what can you do to work on your relationship with the person you are dating?

Here’s some ideas:

Let your girlfriend/boyfriend know what they are getting into — Get them to understand that you are a workaholic who is available at specific times.
Plan time together — Setup dates and movie nights in advance.
Be spontaneous — Keeping to a tight schedule is essential for entrepreneurs, but most people are random and spontaneous. Allow for random stuff, like popping up at your girlfriend’s workplace for lunch. This is a great gesture that she will really appreciate.
Adjust your working hours — Modern entrepreneurs work from home, during all kinds of hours. Yes, sometimes your most productive hours can be during the evenings, but when you in a relationship with someone, this strategy can cause you to become “out of sync” with your partner. Experiment with your working times to find the most optimum time to achieve a healthy work/love life balance.

Find the Right Balance

You might be “flying” in your entrepreneurial journey, but now its time to fly in your relationships.

Sure, it doesn’t feel good when your partner makes you feel guilty for wanting to work hard and be successful. But try to put your self in their shoes and think about how it would feel being in a relationship where you are the one always making all the effort.

Try and find a healthy balance between work and your personal life.