I have been working since I was 13. Stopping for only brief intervals to have two babies. You probably think that makes me an authority on work/life balance. You would be wrong! The longer I am in the workforce, the more I start to believe that work/life balance is a sham. The phrase itself suggests that work and life are separate. That when you step into your office, life as you know it ceases to exist.
I am beginning to subscribe to the notion that work/life balance doesn’t actually exist, it’s really all just LIFE. That seems more manageable to me. It means that each day I have a list of tasks I hope to complete both at home and at the office. That I can schedule pockets of time for each. That I don’t have to put on my metaphorical work pants and at home pants. I can be authentically myself in each moment. It also debunks the myth that multi tasking is an efficient way to work. I’ll say it again for the people in the back “MULTI TASKING IS AN INEFFECTIVE WAY TO WORK!!!!”
So here it is, almost 30 years in the grind and I’m only now starting to find a way to make it work where I’m not pulling my hair out and getting stuck in the overthinking loop of doom at the end of each day. A helpful trick I’ve found is to take 10 minutes in the morning to write a quick overview of what I want to accomplish throughout the day both at work and home then pick an “I am” phrase or mantra that I can repeat in my head, preparing me to show up fully for what I need to do. For example, this morning I felt overly anxious, I was creating potential but most unlikely disasters in my head or as Queen Brene Brown calls it- dress rehearsing tragedy. So my mantra will be “I am present and calm.” I follow that with three deep breaths to realign my nervous system. I then repeat that throughout the day when I’m starting to feel overwhelmed.
Wavy Gravy? Sure. Helpful? Absolutely. As my favourite new Pinterest worthy quote says:”Forget work-life balance, do the thing you want and create systems that support that”
Groovy right?