Work/Life Balance

Hey friend!

Yesterday I had the privilege to speak at a local women's luncheon presented by the "Powered By Her" podcast. This podcast spotlights local female entrepreneurs and business leaders, but even if you aren't local to the Upper Cumberland area of TN, you'll enjoy listening to and learning from this podcast! My topic for yesterday's event was "Work/Life Balance Debunked". Today I'm going to give you the gist of my talk (you can watch the full presentation HERE). Hope it's a help!

A friend shared with me this advice and I believe it’s true “You can have it all, but not at the same time.” It's not that you can't accomplish your goals, there is just no such thing as work/life balance. You must prioritize what’s most important to you and then place everything else into alignment with those priorities.

Here are some practical things (in no particular order) I’ve done to help me prioritize and be more effective in life:

1. Systems & Routine.

• We wake up at the same time and go to bed at the same time every day.

• My kids help with chores (dishes, laundry, lunch making, etc.)

• We sit down for dinner at the same time.

• I start laundry and dishes every morning.

• Every Saturday I prep the kids clothes for the week.

2. Let someone else do it/Say No (maybe just for a season)

• Share babysitting days and/or driving kids to activities with a friend.

• Stop attending groups or serving organizations just because you think you "should".

• Dedicate your spare time to only those things you are truly passionate about.

• Our kids do one activity/sport at a time. This keeps the entire family less stressed – especially them.

• Remember that the less you juggle the better you can be at your roles.

3. Wake up early.

• Allows time to workout and set your mind on the day.

• In theory this also help you be on time, but I haven’t mastered that yet!

4. Cut Out/Combine

• Cut out/down on TV – it’s such a time waster and adds little value. Exception would be watching while doing something else.

• I listen to my daily scripture passage and study while I’m working out. I listen to business related podcasts while I’m getting ready (air pods are great for this)

5. Niche down your focus in business and/or life.

• You can’t be everything to everybody. Do 1-2 things and do them well.

• Set aside specific times during the week for specific tasks (For example, every Friday I block out time to send you an email!

I would love to hear if any of these tips resonate with you and would also love to know if you have a tip to share to help make day to day life more efficient!

Your Friend,

P.S. - Spring Break is just weeks away! Let me help you get ready for shorts and swimsuit season!