Work + Life Balance

Balancing your work + personal life…

Whoever set the precedent that humans are supposed to live to work was clearly from another planet. There has been a shift where we all need to live more and work less! I don’t know if it’s just us, but the more we grind, the more it feels like life is passing by us. With everything going on, taking a step back and remembering what, why, and who you’re living for is essential. Yes, we live in a capitalist society and partially the world, but that doesn’t mean we need to live and operate like robots.

Working five days a week is borderline voluntary servitude because, like most people, you work 40+ hours a week and only have roughly 68 hours a week for your personal life. And that doesn’t consider if you have a second job, are a part-time or FT student, commute during traffic to work, or have to factor in childcare. Including all of that, when do you have time for yourself? And by no means is childcare a burden. Still, there is a difference between taking care of your family after work, i.e., cooking, washing the little ones up, helping them with their homework, etc., versus being recharged and nurtured through spending quality time with your family. You and your life deserve more than a few hours a week of attention. You weren’t placed on this earth to be a worker bee and serve everyone else but yourself.

Finding that balance between work and family obligations so you can dedicate more time to fulfilling your goals and desires makes your life enjoyable. It’s important to remember our lives are our own. We may fill our lives with hobbies, people, and objects to add more value to our lives, but those shouldn’t be things we live and breathe for because those are things we can only enjoy while we walk this earth & they are only temporary.

Consider yourself uninterrupted, with no one to judge your decisions. What at this moment would make you truly happy? What could/would you be doing that brings you happiness that you’re not because X person wouldn’t approve, you don’t have time, you don’t think you deserve to, or any other excuses you’ve created? The moment you start living for yourself and acknowledge that you are the author of your own life, you will be closer to a harmonious life!

If you don’t want to get stuck in the mundane cycle of the days blending, then you have to have the mindset of refusing to let time pass you by before you get to experience all that this world has to offer you. We don’t get two lives, so make the best of the one you have now!

If you are like most humans on this earth, then you cherish some form of ”me” time; keep reading to learn about some of our favorite ways to maintain and build a functional and healthy work-life balance.

Tips to Stay Productive

Maintaining a Healthy Sleep Schedule

Society hammers in us the importance of a healthy sleep schedule, and we feel it when we self-neglect. However, scientific evidence supports a positive correlation between having a healthy sleep schedule and good health. Some benefits include improved cognitive functioning, stress management, and a better digestive system. How you start, your morning is important because it sets the foundation for the rest of your day.

Getting up between 5 am — 7 am gives you more morning to enjoy and allows you plenty of time to prep for the day ahead and do what you need to do without rushing or having to skip a step like breakfast before jumping into your workload for the day.

You are creating a relaxing morning routine that sets you up for success every day and allows you to appreciate every day instead of dreading the day. Play your favorite playlist or listen to a podcast, watch a YouTube video, meditate, do a quick yoga session, make your favorite breakfast, read a chapter out of that book you keep putting off, or work out. Do whatever makes you feel good. The little things in life make all the difference in how we manage our stress levels and happiness. The more you give yourself to look forward to, the more motivated you will be and, in turn, feel more fulfilled.

Running on 4 hours of sleep a few times a week, let alone every day can cause your health and happiness to deteriorate quicker. It defeats the purpose of living a healthy balanced life if you’re running off of no sleep and too tired to function. The optimal amount we all should get is 8 hours a night, but many people lead busy lives, so it’s best to shoot for at least 6.5–7 hours to keep your mind & body functioning. Everything starts and ends with your health so make sure you are resting and maintaining a healthy diet! Everything starts and ends with your health so make sure you sleep and maintain a healthy diet!

Limit Social Media

Studies show that the average person spends about 2.5 hours on social media daily. More than 50% of respondents in one survey revealed they spend more than 5 hours a day on their phones. We conducted a study on our team to see what the average screen time for everyone was, and it came out to be 6 hours per day, and none of us at the time were content creators. It was pure personal screen time. How could we waste so much time already losing 8–10 hours a day working? What’s your average screen time, and how are you spending it each day?

Social media can be great for inspiration, business, and entertainment purposes, but it has also become a breeding ground for hate, negativity, & keeping up with ‘fairytale lifestyles’. It’s essential to return to yourself and the reality around you. Some things are better in moderation, and social media is one of them. Unless you use social media for business purposes, try to limit your daily use by these factors:

1. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter remove any accounts that feed you harmful content. Even viewing posts showing you current negative news can affect your mental health. If you like to keep up with news, try doing a weekly catch-up 1–2x a week; that way, it’s not in your face every day. Next, limit your usage to 2 hours a day broken up during your downtime.
2. Try switching to new platforms that are more interactive and uplifting. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr personalize your preferences to customize your feed based on your content interaction. The benefit here is you have more control over the type of content you’re exposed to, limiting any media that may trigger you.
3. When you get the itch to scroll, put on a podcast instead, or turn on a binge-able show to distract you, don’t give in to the urge!
4. And if the urge gets to you, use social media for business purposes only. There’s no reason why your business page should be exposing you to harmful content unless you are seeking it or following accounts you shouldn’t be. Remember control; we all have it and can use it over every aspect of our lives.

Many people have done social media “purges” where they don’t get on for weeks. People who get easily distracted by social media can manage their screen time through a feature offered by iPhone; that allows setting a time limit for various apps. It’s easy to set up.

Here’s how you do it:

• Settings
• Screen Time
• App Limits
• Add Limit
• Social
• Choose App
• Set Time Limit

After you’ve reached your limit for the day, you’ll receive a notification alerting you to act as a soft warning to make the most of your time. Allowing yourself to be productive and efficient allows for more free time to do activities that recharge you.

MeTime

It’s time to start forcing “me time” into your schedule, just like you push in your doctor’s appointment. The two are more correlated than you think. It all comes back to your health, well-being, and self-care. You work hard. You deserve to spoil yourself and have time to relax. You have to prioritize yourself and peace as if it were a work project due by the end of the day.

Try dedicating at least an hour to something that uplifts you or brings you joy, like going on a nice evening walk after a long day of work or recharging your social bar and going out for some good eats and drinks. If you don’t have enough money for a spa treatment like a massage or a day at the spa, try making your shower/bath routine more peaceful and relaxing to wash the day away and recharge!

Life doesn’t hand you a gold medal for working to create the life you want. Life rewards you for living the life you want and staying aligned. Your work life doesn’t outweigh your personal life. Remember you are working to live, not living to work, but don’t forget to LIVE!!