Balance is the key!

Balance

In the last year our working landscape has changed; a click of a button on our computers/phones enables us to attend everything, allowing us to be transported to locations both global or local, our new mode of time travel!  My long commutes had disappeared, yet I seemed to be working longer hours and my diary was full.  Why? 

At the beginning of the pandemic, it appeared to be a good idea to attend everything, after all I had extra capacity.  What drove this, was it FOMO (fear of missing out), loss of the connection provided by face-to-face interaction or having to justify not doing something with the additional time?

Time consumed with these extra activities provided me with a sense of purpose, connection and belonging. Often, however without tangible aims, outcomes, or strategies, or even providing me with a sense of wellbeing, put simply, I was not maintaining balance! I was creating ‘busyness’, my new ‘personal stealer’, taking me out of kilter, utilizing energy on short-term gains, instead of applying the energy on more meaningful matters so I could benefit in the long-term.  

Why is Balance important?

Balance is the key in everything we do.   It is not a question of work/life balance, only balance!  It’s at this point that we are at our optimum in all we choose to do or to be!

Can you recognise your ‘stealers’ and how they can take you out of balance?

Recognising what was draining me, I redefined what I was doing to take control to create a good balance for me.

Here are some tips that could create balance:

1. Designating working hours – have a start and cut-off,
2. Learning to physically park/pack your computer away at close of your working day as well as weekends! 
3. Take regular breaks.
4. Stop clock watching. 
5. Always remembering that No is a complete sentence, no need to always attend or explain your reasons. 
6. Recognizing and controlling ‘busyness’ patterns. 
7. Learning to embrace silent space/free time. 
8. Taking a ‘less is more’ approach!  Focus on one thing at a time!
9. Create routines that give you space for work, rest, and play!

These are just a few tips, some will resonate, I am sure you will find more ways to help create solutions to gain balance. I am curious to hear your thoughts and tips?

Many of us feel guilty when we do have time on our hands?  Yet it serves no purpose to crowd ourselves with being ‘busy’. It is so important to remember that we are our own time managers, and it is possible to create a healthy balance by recognizing where time is being lost or stolen, and how it makes us feel.  Do check in with yourself on a regular basis regarding this. 

With our lives about to ‘unfold’ and the resume button will be pressed soon, will we ever get so much free time again?   Our time is always precious and by ensuring that we make the absolute best of it, we can all gain balance to manage ourselves better. 

What small steps can you take to create a balance?

If you are looking to gain balance or implement strategies for better balance, then please do contact me. 

#ListenTalkInspire #Coaching #Balance #TimeManagement #Confidence #TimeStealers #Focus

(Photographs: photo Amelie & Niklas Ohlrogge on upsplash  track and lady

Drop: Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash)

Further reading