A few years ago, I was heavily focussed on ways that I could bring balance into my life by ensuring I was making time for things other than work, family, self-care, business and study.
Although I did manage to practice a degree of balance (with the help of my partner), it was difficult to attain consistently. As a hybrid worker, the lines became even further blurred between the two, making balance almost non-existent.
Between studying, running three businesses, spending time with family and friends, as well as managing my own health, I always seemed to be missing the mark with one of these.
I have found that a much more realistic and achievable approach is to focus on work-life integration, whereby you blend professional responsibilities with personal activities, something which I have been practising now for over 12 months and have been able to achieve great results without sacrificing those things that are important to me.
Here’s what I’ve changed;
- Flexible work hours: My approach to work has changed, as have my hours. I no longer have set start / finish times on a given day, which means I may work weekends / after hours. I plan my work week around other activities and have my assistant book external appointments around my schedule rather than trying to meet someone else’s schedule. I am fortunate enough to have a business partner who shares my values and believes in this practice, therefore making it much more attainable. Please note that this doesn’t mean I don’t have boundaries, I absolutely do and when I am with family and friends, I am not checking / responding to emails or even taking phone calls, unless there is something that is absolutely urgent, in which case I have a separate phone number that only my assistant, business partner and family have access to.
- Being Realistic: There may be some days when I need to prioritise events, business or personal; therefore, ensuring that my schedule is flexible enough and not overbooked is another significant change I have made as part of moving to a work-life integration model.
- Protecting and managing my time: Whilst there are many different techniques that can be used to manage one’s calendar, I have found time blocking for certain projects, tasks, and appointments has allowed me to be more productive and efficient. As part of this practice, I build in buffer time between appointments and activities for both personal and business to allow flexibility should something need to change.
- Prioritisation: One of the areas that has been a key part of my success has been prioritising events and tasks based on urgent vs important and using the four-quadrant model (Eisenhower technique) to manage expectations, both my own and that of others. I also use certain technologies to help support me with this.
- Deep work: I build time into my schedule for deep work, turning off any email and other notifications to allow me to focus on a particular task / activity and give it full attention.
If you would like to learn more about my approach or need some guidance around integrating work and personal life, then please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at helllo@eyb.net.au
