Let’s start off by level setting. There is no such thing as work/life balance. We have one life and inside of there we balance self, work, family, friends, interests and goals. The visual of the two sided scale is completely false because we have way more than two things on all of our plates. Yet, prioritization allows us to create a sense of balance on a day to day basis and that is the balance that we should strive for. On the days that we have to work whether for ourselves or for another institution we are balancing that with our familial responsibilities. On those days not dedicated to work we are balancing our interests, friends and familial responsibilities. In addition to making sure that we place time in there every day for ourselves.
I’ve had a lot of transition over the last 10 years from being fully self-employed with one business, to self-employed with two businesses, to my current state of full-time employment plus self-employment. Structure has been my friend through all of those times as there are certain things that I am committed to no matter what is going on.
There is freedom within boundaries. Think of your time as a budget. For example, you can do whatever you want on Friday between 2-4. The same way you are committed to 9-5 at your job. Give yourself boundaries for various activities and similar to your fiscal budget you can give any remaining time to something else. I usually give all extra time to myself to do absolutely nothing constructive, just relaxing. A lot of people are scared of downtime. We are constantly looking for the next productive thing to do. Trust me there is time for productivity. I probably give the world 50-60 hours of productivity a week but in order for me to give that level of productivity. I have to budget time for fun and relaxation to allow me the space to put in more productive hours. I challenge you to budget in time for you to do nothing.
LeKeisha Grant
Innovation Manager