career

This is a topic I’ve been thinking about writing about for awhile. I constantly struggle with having a good “work-life” balance, and I figure a lot of you probably do as well. But hopefully, my short rant will give you a new perspective on this old school expression. xoxo – lauren

If you don’t like what you’re doing for work, then find something new. 

The term “work-life balance” automatically assumes that work and life are opposing forces. Work isn’t always negative and life isn’t always positive. So, why do we talk about them in those specific ways? This term also assumes you can’t have an effective balance between the two. To me, the lines have become so blurred between when I stop working and start living, that I don’t think “work-life balance” actually exists. But, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing! I absolutely love what I do for work. I love getting up Monday-Fridays, going to the gym, eating a healthy breakfast, and then heading into my office to create some really cool things with some really smart people. I also love when it’s time to leave work to see my little fam, relax, and cook dinner together.

Sometimes, I don’t really get to enjoy that family time because I’m at the office until 7 or 8 pm, but that’s because I sincerely care about my work and my career. Notice, I said career and not job. That’s because I’m extremely passionate about the work I do, and it’s more than just a job to me (speaking of passions, read more about how Laura became a successful Stella & Dot stylist here). So, here is my perspective#1 – if you don’t like what you’re doing for work, you shouldn’t be doing it. You’ve heard this a million times, but life is really too short, and think about how much time you spend at work – it’s crazy NOT to like it! Figure out a way to integrate work into your life, and build something that you’re proud of. An empire, perhaps? I follow @bossbabe.inc for inspirational quotes as a daily reminder that I can do anything I want, I just need to believe it. And, if you’re looking for a uplifting, motivational book to read, you have to check out Rachel Hollis’ Girl Wash Your Face. Laura and I have both read it and immediately became obsessed with this chick. She is living proof that we can have it all, if we really want it. In fact, we’ve been so inspired lately, we just signed up to attend the Chicago Create & Cultivate conference in August (to say we’re excited would be an understatement)!

Personal boundaries are important. 

So, now that we’ve established that work is more than just a job, I think it’s important to establish perspective#2  – boundaries are extremely important, so set them, and stick to them. Like I said, I work a lot. I could literally work around the clock and not realize it’s 11PM and that I should probably call it quits. I can get so intertwined with what I’m doing on my computer, that I forget I have a husband and a dog who need me to pay attention to them. So, here are a few ways you can keep your personal life in-tact:

• Set expectations with co-workers that you’ll be offline between one to two hours every night. Pick a time frame when you’ll be cooking dinner, putting kids to bed, or doing something else that requires your full attention. No one is going to fault you for this!! It’s important for your mental health to put the phone down.
• Block your calendar for personal time. Give your mind a rest and make time for yourself. Sometimes, I block my lunch hour so I can get outside to take a walk, or I’ll even let my team know that I’m leaving on time to get to the gym, but I’ll be online later as needed. You won’t be able to focus if you don’t put your physical and mental health first.
• Plan free weekends at least once a month. Make it a point to not make plans at least one weekend a month, so you can catch up on you time.
• Make doing laundry, grocery shopping, and other errands a routine. Sunday is my catch up day, and it makes me so much less stressed during the week knowing that I’ve carved out time to do these things.
• Know that it’s okay to let some things suffer while others exceed. CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK, LADIES! Sometimes you can’t do everything yourself, so give yourself a break when you have to order takeout once and awhile, or even spend the extra few bucks to hire a cleaning lady while you work late nights.
• Sometimes done is better than perfect. Something I live by in order to keep myself moving.

We’d love to hear if you have any of your own work-life balance tips, please share them below!!