Enjoying the See-Saw of life

As a child I loved see-saws, with one caveat, that my tippy toes were within reach of the ground! I used to wobble dangerously, my heart in my mouth, half liking it and half scared out of my wits when I was being flung into the air.

It was good practice for when I reached the dizzying heights of the boardroom. There was a lot of push and pull, opposing factors and force applied. Getting there essentially involved feet dangling, stomach in knots and a lot of facing fears.

“The highs were great. The lows were tough but somehow they always grounded me and made me stronger”

A see-saw on its own is not balanced, it needs awareness and two forces. I rarely found balance in my corporate life. I did increase my awareness along the way and found levers to pull.

Since I became an entrepreneur I have found a way to manage the see-saw much more. The most important realisation is that my well-being is more important than anything else. I now consciously see-saw. I may work late into the evening or night and the following day I might take the morning off. I might blitz it for a few days and then return to 4 days a week

“Biggest impact — no phone for the first hour and the last hour of the day”

Here are my tips for nudging the see-saw the way I need and want;

• The first hour is mine, all mine! Even if I have an early meeting, I get up 30 minutes earlier and find the time. I run twice a week and love yoga at least three times, always in the morning.

I decide the night before what exercise I want to do first thing in the morning, otherwise the brain doesn’t know what I want.

• I avoid the phone for the first hour. Yes that can be hard!
• I plan my top three things a week that I must do to move my ambitions and dreams along. That is both for Back Yourself Mentoring and my personal projects.
• I recently stopped booking in full days of work into my diary. I realised I had brought my corporate hours over into my new work life! I am trialling doing four hours only on a Tuesday.

This has been unbelievably effective. I get so much done in those four hours! And then I have time to do my personal projects.

For me balance is mis-represented by the fabulous world of marketing. It makes us feel there is a “right and a wrong way”. There isn’t, we are all different, with different personalities, body clocks and ambitions. I believe the entrepreneurial world gets this. The corporate environments are slowly realising this, it will take some time.

In the meantime I set up what my working week looks like, talking to incredible women, constant learning and see-sawing until both toes touch the ground at least half the time.

Susan Sheehan is the Founder of Back Yourself Mentoring, where women inspire and empower other women through authentic mentoring relationships. We believe in the power and compassion of mentoring supporting women through career changes, transitions and managing that see-saw!