Work-Life Balance? I used to be a firm believer in work-life balance until everything got mixed up. Loving your job and wanting to grow a business to eventually leave your job, can be extremely time consuming, often leaving you with very little work-life balance. So; I opted to believe in and practice healthy lifestyle habits to be as happy and balanced as possible.
In the beginning, I stressed out about finding a specific time for everything I had to accomplish in a day but quickly realized accomplishing my to-do list every day, was impossible. Everything in life is so intertwined, that the idea of creating separate schedules for little tasks is simply an illusion. Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In touches on this subject; how can there be work-life balance if work IS life and life IS work? Sheryl was onto something with healthy lifestyle habits instead of relying on work-life balance.
Sure, at some point during the day you must relax and let you mind rest for a bit but what I’m trying to get at is that, you will truly know you love what you do, when you are not overwhelmed. Repeat this:
“You cannot be overwhelmed when living your purpose.”
But even when living within your purpose, things can get crazzyy; I know that happens in my world all the time. And for that reason, I went on to find the healthy lifestyle habits that would allow me to have the best of the two worlds I deeply love: work and life.
With practice, I’ve learned these 7 healthy habits listed below to keep my work and life as balanced as possible. Today, I’m paying it forward and sharing the healthy habits with you:
1. Sleep 7 to 8 hours each night
We live in a society that applauds “not sleeping”; we often hear with a tone of praise “OMG! She doesn’t sleep” as if that’s something to be proud of. We all have cram days, days of endless problems but making sleep a priority is necessary (see here what I use to sleep better!). Our mind needs to rest, not only to be more alert at work but to lead a healthier life. Starting tonight, try getting a full night sleep – you will notice the difference in your mood, your attitude, your performance at work and it’s truly the first step to mastering healthy lifestyle habits.
2. Practice aromatherapy:
My sister taught me this trick and I’ve put it to work more times than I expected. Carrying a little lavender essential oil bottle is… essential! Rub it on your wrists and inhale whenever you feel stressed or in the need of that 5th cup of coffee; trust me, at some point coffee stops working and you need something deeper to liberate your mind.
I also incorporate essential oils into delicious bubble baths! I use essential oils and essential oil blends from Simply Earth and I loovee it because all ingredients necessary come in one kit for ONLY $39; what?! I also have a special code: AHINTOFLIFEFREE for a $20 gift card when you purchase their all-in-on kit! Check it out, here!
3. Take a Smart lunch break:
Working in an office, or working from home can be very daunting! You never see the light of day and this can lead to feeling tired, unmotivated and even depressed. During your lunch break, take a walk outside, see the sun and breathe fresh air. This will help you release stress, concentrate in something else than your laptop, free your mind for a couple of minutes and feel more energized to continue the day! Healthy lifestyle habits is about the little things.
4. Exercise frequently:
I would say this one is one of the most important tactics to keep healthy lifestyle habits alive. Exercising does NOT mean one hour or 1.5 hours a day. It means, 20, 30, 45 minutes and it can be anything from yoga, pilates, walking, running, weight lifting – find what makes you feel good. Some workouts I have tried and recommend are Yoga with Adriene and BBG by Kayla Itsines – if you are in Miami, StayFit 305 always has great workout deals and locations to try in South Florida; make sure to take advantage!
5. Plan your day the night before:
Don’t wait until 9am to start planning your day as you will waste time as soon as emails start coming in and then my friend, you will be OVERWHELMED! Before you leave the office or shut down your computer the night before, get a pen and paper to plan your next day. Some questions to ask yourself as you plan your next day are:
- What didn’t you get to?
- What’s priority?
- What can wait for next week?
- What deadline is coming up?
- Do you have any calls/meetings scheduled?
6. Don’t text while working:
No matter how much we love what we do, we all LOVE taking breaks and that’s ok. The thing to note here is that breaks, should be breaks. You are not working effectively when you are texting your friend/mom/boyfriend every 10 minutes during the workday; by doing this, you will find yourself working until 9pm and this is when burnout and bad moods start to happen; obviously not the way to go with if you are trying to implement healthy lifestyle habits into your life. So, designate 5-10 minutes every 3 hours to take care of personal matters, get coffee or simply take a break.
7. See a friend:
We focus so much at work and in finding ways on how to become better bosses, managers, entrepreneurs, whatever… but, how much time do we spend finding ways to become more human? Life is made of moments, personal touch and real laughs; reach out to a friend, meet for coffee, wine, or a simple movie at home. I can assure you, your friend was looking for something to do other than work; match made in heaven!
I strongly believe in these 7 healthy lifestyle habits and try to put them to work daily for a happier work and personal life. Can’t wait for you to try these 7 healthy lifestyle habits and let me know how you feel about them!
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Xo, Belen
