One small thing
I know we are only two weeks into 2024, but I am already behind.
Dr Lucinda Homer Coaching
Hello there,
I know we are only two weeks into 2024, but I am already behind.
It feels a bit like when I used to make complex exam revision plans from my teens to my twenties. They looked brilliant on paper, and I would have all the topics covered at least once before the exam. But then life happened and things inevitably started to slide from week one. To be fair, there were not enough hours in the day to get all the work done, but in my head it all worked out. I spent lots of time rewriting those revision plans, trying to fit everything together like a complicated jigsaw.
The revision plans helped me to feel better about the task in hand. They helped to keep my exam anxiety in check. They helped to uncover gaps and focus my efforts. They also enabled me to put off the task of revising because planning was important too!
So why am I behind already?
Well, I have a portfolio career and run two businesses. That means that not only do I have a work/life balance to think about but I have a work/work balance too.
I knew that having some time off over the festive period would mean a period of catching up, and I set aside time to do just that. But I had not anticipated that there would be so much work waiting in the wings for me, and the work was heavily weighted in one of my work roles. That meant that I had to spend most of last week neglecting one role in favour of the other.
As a result, I found that I was irritated, grumpy, and stressed. Much like how I feel when work takes over and life takes a back seat. You know those weeks when you ditch self care to keep yourself afloat at work, even though deep down you know it is a bad idea.
Work/work balance does not necessarily mean that you have different jobs and a portfolio career. It can be about different roles, that you have as part of your full time career. You may have an extra management role or act as a training supervisor for example. It can be incredibly hard to maintain the enthusiasm and capacity for "extra roles" when you have a busy professional career. You may find that changing the way that you work, and not what you do, helps you to maintain a fulfilling career.
I have written about how to have a more balanced life ​here​. In the post, I suggest five strategies to help get some more balance into your life.
Is it possible for work and life to be evenly balanced?
I do not think it is as simple as trying to even everything up and allocate a similar amount of time to tasks at work and home. Simply put, there will be weeks when work will win and others where life will win. In the case of a portfolio career, one aspect of your work may win and that is hard when you are trying to make more than one business succeed. The important thing is to bring your awareness to what is happening and try to make sure that one does not continually overwhelm the other.
It is also helpful to try and reframe how you think about it.
I gave myself some time to reflect and think about my week. I was disappointed that I had not done everything in one aspect of my work but pleased that I had cleared the huge list of jobs in the other. That allowed me to be kinder to myself and celebrate all the things that I had achieved, instead of being cross about the unfinished tasks. This is particularly important when you have a work/work balance to think about.
I know that there will always be more work to be done and that it tends to come along in waves. There is only so much that I can achieve in a day.
That is important:
There is only so much that you can achieve in a certain time frame.
For me, the quieter times in one business allow for my focus to go to the other.
My weekend also helped me to put things into perspective and I was lucky enough to have time for socialising, exercising, and resting.
That is even more important:
When you are working extremely hard or life becomes difficult, still try to make time for yourself. Five minutes counts and it will make the rest easier to manage. Remember that small changes can have a massive impact.
Something else to read...
"Yes, it’s cold, it’s wet and it’s dark – but here are nine reasons to love January."
Emma Beddington
Prefer audio? Then check this out...
"How to fail"
Elizabeth Day speaks to Gillian Anderson
"Instead, this liberates us to have a fascinating chat about life, fame, womanhood and everything in between. We talk about her failures to look after herself, her addiction to work, how she coped with global celebrity in her 20s and how this affected the way that she saw herself. Plus: why she thinks wellness culture is making us ill and why her natural instinct when someone tells her what to do is to say 'F** off.'"
Coaching Prompt
"What went well today?"
When you feel fed up and frustrated with your day, a reframe can really help how you think and feel.
3 songs long
I chose 3 songs for the playlist because it lasts for 10 minutes (ish). That 10 minutes is the perfect length of time for you to either listen, relax, do an exercise snack, walk round the block, or do anything you fancy to music (go wild with your imagination). You can listen to my playlist or make one of your own.
That's it for this week. I would love to know how you manage your work/work balance.
Love from,
Lucinda x
P.S.
What else?
To find out more about working with me, book a no obligation call. There is no charge, just an exchange of our time. I would love to hear from you.​ Book here.​
I have an online course that can help you with balance. You can find out more here:​ "Getting a balanced life."​
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