Better Work-Life Balance

As creatures of our environments, learning how to better manage our work-life balance is both an internal and external skill.

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While we’re in another lockdown, it’s never been more important to navigate this time by being a little stricter with ourselves about what practices to both put in and take out, and keep momentum moving in the right direction.

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Focus and Discipline

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These two tenets of authentic motivation can feel especially difficult with so much going on, especially in the digital age, but coming back to centre and giving your full attention to the task at hand is a moment to moment skill that improves with practice. Being patient with yourself, as well as forgiving instead of punishing, is a more sustainable way to cultivate these attributes. Separate your work environment from your down-time environment by setting up in another room, to give yourself the mental space you need to concentrate, and try using something like the Pomodoro Technique to ensure that you’re taking small, consistent breaks.

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Start Low and Go Slow

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As with the timeless tale of the hare and the tortoise - try not to rush. We increasingly feel the existential pressure from both society and ourselves to do and be more, but focusing on quality over quantity means starting with what we’ve got. Building a house requires strong foundations, and having faith in the outcome means trusting the process and correcting mistakes. These can be especially challenging given that things can often be counter-intuitive and clearer in hindsight, but going more slowly enables you to shift out of chaotic and back into complex, which becomes easier to manage with experience and practice.

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Take Care of Your Mental and Physical Health

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Holistic care means looking after all of your mind, body and soul. Taking care of your tasks includes taking care of yourself, and that means seeing sleep and nourishment as important tools in your armament, not just basic essentials. Small daily practices such as gratitude and meditation can even be done on the go - there’s no need to carve out a whole hour to sitting in stillness to reap the cumulative benefits. The Beatles knew it: ‘all we need is love’, and practicing ‘loving kindness’ meditation is a great reminder to build these feelings, along with compassion.

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Be Selective About What You Let In

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The media we consume, the people we hang around with, and the activities we undertake are all a choice. Becoming more mindful about the present moment and paying more attention to how things make us feel can help us better decide what stays, and what needs to go. Less is more.

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Focus on The Good

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Where attention goes, energy flows. Happiness is found in the little every day things. Hope is found in inspiration, which makes spaces like x+why the perfect place to feel both authentically motivated and inspired. Doing well starts with believing that we can - focus on your strengths and leverage your positive attributes, we all have them.

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Organisation and Schedule

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Although we can’t always prepare for everything in life (COVID included), we can better plan and organise what’s in front of us by taking each day as it comes, and scheduling in time for work, rest and commitments. Leaving some free space in the schedule for unexpected life events allows existential flexibility, while ensuring we stay on track.

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Life is not an event, it’s a process and processes take time. So committing to ourselves and our work by reminding ourselves -why- we started, gives us the patience we need to see everything through, from one moment to the next.

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