Getting the Balance: Work vs Recuperation

I've been away from writing for the past few days testing out an idea I had about getting the balance between my work and making more time for myself to recuperate. In doing so I have been speaking to various people who have struggled or are still struggling with getting this balance. This applies to those that either work from home and feel as if they are working 24/7 or finding that the feeling of 'I've got some free time let's get some work done so I can get ahead' is constant. If you're burning the candle at both ends, well there is no way you are going to be able to make it with your health and mind still intact. I tested out a few guidelines for myself this week to see if they would help initiate this balance and give me a more focused mind.

 

Set Out Your Work Hours

Make sure your weekends are for you and your evenings give you time to recuperate. If you plan on doing a 9 to 5 day then stick to it. Always remember the time taken out is just as important to make those next few working hours more productive. For me these hours meant, if an email is coming in that person would have to wait to until 9 am the next day, I don't even open the email. In addition I do a lot of work through social media, so a Facebook detox was in order last weekend. A great tool I used to block the site temporarily called 'Self Control' worked wonders.

Prepare Yourself for the Day Ahead

Always start out with a daily routine before you pick up your phone to look at those emails coming in. You need to be ready to take on the world if something crazy happens. My daily routine includes; meditation, breakfast, shower and if time a little bit of comedy. When dealing with the worst case scenario and your business or job starts to go down the drain you want to be coming from a position of strength rather than weakness. So start the day on a high.

Don't Blow Yourself Off

This little pointer I picked up from Marie Forleo, but worked wonders for me. It's so important to take that time out for yourself but dedicate it to you too. In committing to yourself you understand that this is the same concept as booking in a meeting and holding yourself accountable. Just think, you wouldn't skip a meeting last minute so why would you give yourself any less respect? Make the time for you and stick to it. This compliments the two pointers above. 

Your Health is Your Baby

Feeling stressed out and overwhelmed with work can have a serious knock-on effect with your health. Many times I have felt my body saying 'enough is enough', with the consequence of bad back pains and 3 days of being ill. Back pains are still something I still deal with on a regular basis due to the injury I had caused about a year ago from ignoring the problems. If you don't look after yourself who will? Your health is the number one priority. Yes I understand you might have a life changing event going on but frankly if you're not well you can't go. Not only will you feel rubbish once you are there but your minimal efforts to interact with people will come across as rude. 

Be Present - All You Have is Now

Being present is being mindful. I was so grateful to be taught this by Eckhart Tolle who understood that the present moment is all that you have, so why settle for anything else? We live int he present not the past or future. When you are eating, just eat rather than thinking 'what do I have to do today?' or 'I have that deadline I'm worried about'. It won't help you become more productive in the task you are currently doing. All you can do is all you can do. I get that saying just stop the worry and the buzz in your head, but there are ways to calm your mind on a regular basis through meditation. I highly recommend meditation to anyone suffering from anxiety, stress or just a frequent worrier. The practice will allow your mind to become more focused, relaxed and allow you to take in your surroundings giving your mind a mental break. See my previous post 'Switching off to standby and Switching Off' for more on this.