Balance

MY THOUGHTS ON BALANCE
When it comes to leading a balanced life, I'm a true believer that while this is a very romanticized and idealistic thought in my own personal life, perfect balance is seldom achieved. This would mean I'd have to give equal attention to everything / everyone at all times... and being that things at work are constantly changing, this might never be the case.

I’ve always thought about this with a bit of guilt - that is until I realized there's nothing wrong with shifting my focus and giving my undivided attention to what feels to be the most important thing to me at that time. In order to do that, I needed to learn not only to be very perceptive and aware of the needs of those around me, but also my own needs. I was working 20-hour days both at home and outside of home and doing extra hours, often consisting of 8 hours on a Saturday and 8 on a Sunday. Needless to say, I didn't need to have someone telling I was going to have a breakdown. I did. For the most part, this advice will sound all over the place, but it is only until you apply this to your own life that you realize how beneficial it actually is.

Life and work are sometimes a matter of rearranging and reshuffling to me. The same way I rearrange my living room, I rearrange the how, when and where I do things. It's all about the little things.

01. Me
The first shift I made was realizing that being “selfish” and taking care of myself meant I could take better care of those around me. When eventually sleep deprivation caught up with me, I thought to myself, “There's no point in trying to achieve so much and slide towards a breakdown”.

02. Limits
Just as kids need boundaries, we, the infamous breed of workaholics, also need them: carefully planned 8-10 hour work-days with breaks in between and a way to draw a line between work time and personal time. I cannot say I have it all together but I strive every day to see my tools of work (desktop, laptop, iPad, iPhone) as my "place of work", understanding that if I'm off the clock, I shouldn't even be near those tools. Also, I've made a pledge that neither will I eat at my desk nor take it with me while I'm on holiday.

03. Move
Although I find exercise to be of utmost importance in my life, this point has nothing to do with it. It has to do with being stuck in your office for long periods of time. This little change has made an incredible difference in my life. I frequently use my office for my design work but once I'm in the replying to emails stage, I move to a different location every day. Out on the patio, in my living room or while I'm waiting for the oven timer to tell me the cookies are done. These tiny shifts of location help me, honestly, not to lose my mind.

04. Relax
When a pressing matter consumes my every waking moment or I get sick (as with every other human being), I've learned to relax. Learn that the internet will be OK without you and that you will be OK without it. If something goes terribly wrong, then you'll have the time to explain yourself, apologize and move on. Of course, I could only get to this point after getting sick and realizing that although I am a very responsible and hardworking person, we all experience misfortune and have our ups and downs.

05. Wrapping it up
At the end of each day, I go through all the things I was meant to do that day. If there are things I didn't manage to do within those 8-10 hours, they are moved to the next day. Closing off your day means you have already gone through hours of work and that you need to regroup. Forcing yourself to work further can result in sloppy work and work that you’re not proud of, so I always go through a mental list, send off my last emails of the day and head for a special time of cell regeneration, otherwise known as sleep.

06. Restart
When I start my days, I've learned to not jump in with both feet too fast. Waking up early and allowing myself a leeway of 30 minutes to 1 hour has helped me feel more relaxed and less frantic in the morning. Easing into my routine was something I learned from Yoga and it's helped me feel happier and more content, while the concrete jungle is going nuts around me.

After these bits of advice, the most important advice I always give, is to do whatever's best for you and your family. Remember that all of this will one day pass... so treasuring everything in the mix is important. Cut yourself some slack and be transparent with your readers or clients. When working give the best of yourself and when not working forget about it completely.

Please feel free to chat about how you maintain balance and give us your tips.
What has blogging or freelancing taught you?