Lately, I’ve been so busy with work that I’ve let myself get a little out of kilter in balancing this with the rest of my life. I realised that both the quality of my time as well as the quality of my work was reduced, as I tried to juggle it all.

When I don’t set clear parameters for when I am working and not working, then it is true to say that I am ALWAYS working, and never not working. In trying to do it all, I am in reality not focusing properly, and not being present in what I am doing.

Happiness isn’t just about feeling good, it’s about the joy we feel while striving after our potential.”

– Shawn Achor, bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage

We are happy and fulfilled the most when we live in the moment, using this as a catalyst for our own success and productivity.

Setting Parameters is Key to Success

• Monday to Friday: From 10 am-4 pm, I am working. Before this, I’m walking the dogs, having a run, catching up on household ‘stuff’. I take a good break at 4pm, before jumping back into work for a couple more hours. I do a lot of work with LucidaClub.com and need to be available for my US colleagues, so concentrate my focus in the afternoons on this part of my work. From 7 pm onwards I’m present in the moment to spend time with my partner, meet friends, go out for dinner or head to the gym.
• Weekends: No work. No work emails. Just quality time to be with my friends and family – actually living my life, and having memorable experiences by focusing on the now.
• Creating routine – with flexibility: Having a routine for the working part of my day, helps to keep me focused on whatever I am doing. There is always something that might crop unexpectedly but having a routine helps me stay on top of it all.
• Set goals: I find that setting a small amount of time at the start of the day, to compile a list of goals, allows me to see more clearly what I need to achieve. This helps me to keep focused when I am working, and helps to nurture my own mental well-being once each goal has been met.
• Social media and emails: I’ll be the first to say how hard it is to stop yourself looking at your emails and social media! It’s so easy to unconsciously keep checking them. I’m trying to set aside a specific time to look at social media once a day, and to check my emails as part of my workday routine, looking at them in the morning and then again specific times throughout the day – it doesn’t always work that way, but it means I am more productive in the work I am doing, as well as still responding to those emails in a timely manner.

Achieving balance

I have found that a set start and end time to my day means I use those working hours much more effectively to achieve what I have set out to do. I feel more alive and enthused because I am connected to whatever I am doing, whether it is compiling a business development plan during my working hours, to fully switching off and kicking back to watch a movie in an evening.

When your work/life is in balance, your time is always well spent because you are focused and present in that moment. We don’t get time back, so using it properly helps to elevate and energise you not just at work, but in the other essential areas of your life. It makes you appreciate what you have, enabling you to find happiness in every aspect.

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