I was planning to write this blog yesterday, however I missed my alarm and got out of bed late. What followed was the start of a day where everything felt like it was challenging and difficult. (I am sure most of you will be able to relate.) I spilt coffee down my clean top and smashed a bowl in the kitchen, all before I sat down in my home office to start a day’s work.
As the day progressed the setbacks seemed to pile up; I nearly missed my hairdresser appointment, I booked it months ago, saving it in my calendar for the wrong time and I scraped my car bumper while reversing off my drive. By lunch time, I decided it was just one of those days where you yearn for a brighter tomorrow. I knew it was definitely not the right day to write a motivational blog.
In the quiet solitude of today, I had the headspace to reflect on yesterday’s challenging events. I realise the tumultuous nature of yesterday was most probably a consequence of deviating from my personal principles regarding maintaining a healthy balance of work and life. Personal principles which I have developed over a number of years based on experience and lessons learned.
I love the holiday season; the cheery songs, the laughter, the sparkle and twinkling lights. However, often the hustle and bustle, pressure to attend events, buy and wrap the presents, prepare for the Christmas feast and the looming quarter/ financial year end at work, can turn joy into stress and cast a shadow on the holiday spirit. When embarking on the merry Christmas journey it is essential to recognise the importance of balance to enjoy the festivities and set the tone for a healthier and happier ‘you.’ This also delivers a plethora of other benefits, including:
- Significantly alleviates personal stress.
- Improves personal health and wellbeing.
- Enhances productivity and creativity.
- Increases morale.
- Creates space for quality family and friend’s time.
Below are the top three strategies I use to achieve a healthy work and life balance during the festive period and throughout the New Year:
1. Setting Boundaries and Delegating
Setting boundaries and skilful delegation go hand in hand. This prevents others from encroaching on your protected time and energy, creating space for you to truly focus on the task in hand. These indispensable allies pave the way to a harmonious existence. Imagine being responsible for an important project at work and taking time out without delegating authority, I am sure you would expect to be disturbed out of hours at some point. It is equally important to apply this same logic to our personal lives, protecting our personal time and energy in the same manner.
Top Tips:
- When imposing a boundary, you must be mindful to stick to it.
- Do not be afraid to share the workload. Delegating and stepping back can be difficult however it provides a unique opportunity for others to grow, develop, enhance their self-confidence and experience.
2. Having the Confidence to Say No and Unplug
It is important to have the ability and confidence to say no and unplug from the incessant demands that we encounter each day. Embracing the power of saying no is liberating and the unplugged moments foster creativity, innovation and release potential that would otherwise be stifled. In my experience when individuals do not have the confidence to say no people expect more from them. I experienced this first hand when a customer would always call me for support at the weekend. When this happened on my daughter’s birthday, I eventually said no. Interestingly I only said no on that one occasion to reset their expectations and they never disturbed me at the weekend again.
Top Tip:
- Embrace the power of saying no, others will appreciate and respect you more for doing this.
3. Prioritise Tasks and Take Regular Breaks
Prioritising work and having regular breaks ensures your energies are invested where they truly matter, creating space for you to focus on the task in hand. The enhanced attention results in an improved output, providing increased feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. These breaks also act like palate cleansers, refreshing your mental state and reenergising your mind ready for the next focus period on the most important task in hand.
Top Tip:
- Schedule breaks into your calendar. Organising time out helps to ensure you actually take a break. For example, you could read a book, go for a walk, have a coffee corner catch up or organise calls with friends and family.
This Christmas embracing the spirit of the season and taking care of yourself through effective management of your work and life balance gives you the gift of harmony. Implementing simple strategies in both your work and personal life can help you survive the holiday season and thrive into and throughout the New Year. I’d love to hear more about your thoughts on this. What top three strategies do you adopt? Do you have any top tips for others? Please comment below.
Can we have beans on toast next year ,definitely a lot cheaper and as long as we are all together what does it matter what we eat