Tag Archives: schedule

Mar6

The Most Important Meal Of The Day

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The Most Important Meal Of The Day

Hello!! Something that I actively suck at has got to be eating breakfast. It sounds stupid, but it’s true lol. After taking care of the bunnies and getting cleaned up early in the morning, I’m never particularly hungry. So, I begin the next part of my routine which is work online and slam ALL of the coffee. There comes a point during my mornings where hunger just hits me like a load of bricks and I either answer the call or put it on hold because I could have an early lunch. They say madness is doing the same thing and expecting different results and, honestly, this current system leaves a lot to be desired. So, I have made a conscious effort to incorporate some semblance of a normal breakfast into my routine compliments of a random craving.

As I was completing a curbside order online last week, I got the most intense white girl craving for avocado toast with everything bagel seasoning. I’m not sure why because I’ve only had it one time before. My sister made it for me a few years back when I was over at her house, it was the bomb, and that was that. I figured I was onto something with this out of nowhere hankering so I went ahead and added all of the fixings for avocado toast into my order. I actually just had some prior to writing this and it was just as bomb as I remembered it being. And *shocker* I actually feel awesome!

I am one of those people who absolutely NEEDS a routine and once I have one established, it is really hard for me to change it. Even if it is just one small thing like making breakfast every morning, I have to adjust all of the moving parts in my day to accommodate it and that is stressful. My routine comforts me and once the mental gymnastics starts, that security blanket feels like it got ripped to shreds. I have to admit, I had some butterflies in my basket when making my brekkie – but my entire world didn’t implode and that initial discomfort was quickly satisfied with something yummy that I wanted to eat. Not only did I feel like I worked better, but I had the sense of pride that I took care of myself by stepping out of my comfort zone. It might be a small step, but it was a big one!

Incorporating monkey wrenches into my work flow and challenging my own made up rules might be stressful, but I often find that the stress relief after the fact outweighs any cons. I have some big life changes coming up soon and adding little blips in my day to day will be a great stepping stone to making that shift easier.

What is your favorite food to have for breakfast? Are you structured or go with the flow during your day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan19

Moving Right Along

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Moving Right Along

Howdy!! One of the comments that I get several times a week from the people I see and talk to frequently is: “I don’t know how you manage everything”. I have three jobs that keep me very busy, but I like to think that I have my juggling act down to a science. This isn’t something that happened overnight, rather something that has been perfected over time as I have been self employed for over a decade. It can be a delicate dance when you have a crazy schedule to keep your head above water. However, once you have it down, you can do that dance backwards and with your eyes closed! Here is what helps me:

I love my jobs:

The most important thing is to love what you do for a living and I certainly do! I love working with people with special needs, I love my blog, and I love being a social media manager. If I was absolutely miserable in any of these positions, I wouldn’t dedicate so much time to them. It makes me feel good to be a boss lady, but boss ladies know when to take a step back. As soon as I start feeling like something isn’t a good fit, I make immediate plans to change it and follow through until that is accomplished. It’s what keeps my work exciting and makes each day a joy rather than a chore.

It’s all in the timing:

Of course, time management is the next most important step to making a hectic schedule work. Through trial and error, I created a schedule that allows for me to complete every single task and be done when I return home so I can enjoy my evening with Johnny. Making a perfect schedule for yourself is like assembling a puzzle and once you get the pieces right, there is nothing that you can’t do. For a long while, I would still work a bit once I got home for the day no matter how badly I wanted to sink into the couch. The last step in my master schedule was eliminating this and I feel even more capable because I’m using my evenings for what they were intended for – relaxing!

Listen to yourself:

No one knows you better than you and rather than push yourself, you need to listen to yourself. I can’t tell you how many times I avoided taking breaks or simply a day off and it did me no favors. It made me resentful, exhausted, and overwhelmed. Honestly, this is one of the major things I still need to work on but I am getting better at it. You can only push yourself so much until you break so don’t let yourself get to that point. If something is feeling off, don’t just brush it aside because it’s your mind and body sending you a message. Listen to it because burnout is a very real thing and you have all of the tools to prevent it.

Go with the flow:

It’s no secret that my schedule is god lol. I have to admit, that I do tend to get a little panicky when my day isn’t moving as it should. This is why I am really making an effort to implement a go with the flow attitude. Being high-strung all day is exhausting and I always have to make a conscious effort to remind myself that things might not go accordingly to plan no matter how much you plan. While I do still experience some anxiety during a not to the T day, it has decreased substantially as I have to remind myself that even the most well thought out schedule needs some wiggle room.

I am well aware that there are still things that I need to work on when it comes to my work week. Keeping all of the above at the forefront of my mind helps me and I hope it does the same for you!

Do you follow the same schedule every day? How do you improve your work flow? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec21

A Calendar Double Take

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A Calendar Double Take

Hello!! As you might remember, it took me a LONG time to get a smartphone. I was perfectly content with my old school flip phone and would have happily kept using it if it didn’t break. During that time in the stone age, I had a huge desktop calendar that I loved to plan my weeks on. Now, of course, I make great use out of the calendar on my phone and it keeps my days running as they should. From appointments to hang outs with friends and work functions, my calendar has it all. However, something I saw recently on my agenda really had me scratching my head. Check it out:

lol

The other night, I was penciling in some time for a slumber party with my niece. As I scrolled through my options, I saw that I had “my 600 lb life anniversary” marked down for the day after Christmas. I was honestly half asleep at the time so I screenshotted it and fell asleep with the plans to investigate it later. The following day, I almost thought I dreamed it but there it was in my photo gallery! I was racking my brain trying to think of what this cryptic message meant and then all of a sudden, it hit me…

The day after Christmas last year was the ONLY time in mine and Johnny’s five year plus relationship that he watched My 600 Lb. Life with me. For those of you who don’t know, I am a TLC addict. I LIVE for 90 Day Fiance, Sister Wives, Dr. Pimple Popper, and especially My 600 Lb. Life. Whenever I watch any of them, Johnny refuses to watch with me, but I suppose he was feeling some extra holiday spirit the day after Christmas! And, clearly, to mark the momentous victory of him watching with me, I marked it in my calendar. All I can say is, guess what we’re doing the day after Christmas?! 😀

I never thought my calendar would surprise me, but here we are because I was in a state of WTF when I saw our anniversary lol. I cannot wait for many, many more!

What is your favorite guilty pleasure show? What is your favorite show on TLC? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec4

1500 Day Duolingo Streak!!

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1500 Day Duolingo Streak!!

Howdy!!! As most of you know, I thrive on having a strict routine. It brings me a lot of comfort to know ahead of time what my day is going to look like and I rarely stray far from it outside of the weekend. Knowing that I live for a good schedule, it should not come as a surprise that there is nothing more pleasing to me than a good streak. No, not running naked through the neighborhood, but doing something regularly and tracking the days! My most recent accomplishment for a streak happened this past weekend when I hit 1500 days in a row on Duolingo:

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I always say that if I had a super power, I would want to be fluent in every language in the world. I would love to be able to communicate with people in any language that they are most comfortable with! While I am not there yet lol, I have to say that Duolingo has been a great asset. For over FOUR YEARS now, I have woken up every morning and completed at least one practice session of French. It comes as naturally as my daily early morning Facebook check and I have never forgotten or faltered. Probably because the owl would blow up my phone if I did!

Because of massive time restraints, I don’t get to work on Spanish, Italian, German, and Czech as often as I would like. However, I am always pleased with my recollection when I can squeeze in a multilingual practice. And, I am extremely happy with how my French has advanced over time. I have studied French literally since high school and it has been my dream for as long as I can remember to go to France. Will I ever get there? Who’s to say? But I love that I would feel comfortable with my communication if Johnny and I treat ourselves to a very belated honeymoon. 😀

Thanks to the handy Duolingo app, I get to start my mornings off right with something I enjoy so much. I can’t wait till my next milestone!

Which languages do you speak? Which languages would you like to learn? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May21

Setting Small Goals For GREAT SUCCESS

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Setting Small Goals For GREAT SUCCESS

Hello! I am one of those people that like to get things done immediately and do it well. However, in this current juncture of my life, everything has been overwhelming and I barely got things like cooking, cleaning, or self care done at all. After over two months of running myself ragged and being disappointed by things that I couldn’t do because I had no time or energy, I decided to make a change. Rather than attempting to do everything and doing nothing instead, I began setting small, achievable goals for myself to meet throughout the week.

This has been a most helpful change and I have had GREAT SUCCESS already. Although the pace I am getting things done at is leisurely, I am now getting them done and I feel great about it. Here are some of the ways that I have switched things up:

Cooking:

When things were falling apart, cooking was the first thing that plummeted. This was no good for me because I love to cook and DoorDash is expensive! I knew that what I was doing wasn’t working and set the goal for myself to make easy meals on the days that I am home early. Yes, I was tired once home but eating actual food is important and I found that I had more energy once I was done cooking because I was finally enjoying myself. Now, I am making dinner at least three times a week with plenty of leftovers for off days and I am really proud of that! There is also nothing better than seeing how happy Johnny is whenever I’m in the kitchen and eagerly asking what I’m making. ❤

Cleaning:

In my perfect world, I would be able to dedicate an entire morning and afternoon to cleaning the apartment. However, I simply don’t have the time to do that. So, I started small. I have begun texting Johnny in the mornings about his designated chores he could do when he gets home and I take care of everything else that needs done throughout the week. I now have Wednesday as my set morning to do laundry, cleaning toilets on Thursday (just like my mom’s chore schedule lol), and using spare time to declutter in sections. Breaking the chores up into a manageable schedule has really helped to turn the apartment around and it feels good to return home without immediately spotting glaring issues to clean!

Leisure:

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnny and I used to love doing things on week nights. Dinner out, going for walks, or catching an early movie at the theater. That seems so long ago, but it was so nice to have fun things to look forward to during the work week. Together, we decided that now would be a perfect time to get back into this habit – especially since the weather is beautiful! We don’t plan on going crazy with plans and like the theme of this post, we are starting small. I suggested a hike at least once a week in one of the many Metro Parks we live by and having the occasional dinner on our balcony. This is a change we will be implementing this week because Johnny worked crazy overtime hours last week. I’m excited to go out and do things with my husband again and a hike seems like an easily accomplish-able way to start.

Although everything still kind of sucks right now, I am feeling much better by setting goals and reaching them. By breaking tasks up into smaller pieces, I have been doing more of the things I love and the things that are necessary. It’s a minor change, but one that I am so pleased with and will be sticking to from now on!

How do you make adulting more manageable? What is something that you are proud of? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May9

Content Creating 101

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Content Creating 101

Hello!! This past week, I shared my pro tips for working from home and self employment that were very well received. So, I decided to do one more 101 post with a focus on content creating. For almost four years, I have been creating daily content for lifewithlilred and I am very determined to continue this streak for as long as humanly possible! These are some of the tips that help me stay motivated and creative and maybe they’ll be helpful for you too:

Patience is a virtue:

Over the past several years, influencers and content creators have made a big splash online and I’m sure we all have a favorite personality with millions of viewers. It might be easy to think that you can immediately start publishing content and hit it big but that is far from the case more often than not. Every popular influencer started off with minimal views and they worked hard to increase them. As a content creator, it is important to be patient and continue posting even if you think no one is seeing it. At the end of the day, this is what you have to do to boost your visibility so stick with it and don’t compare yourselves to other people – nothing good ever comes out of that!

Content is everywhere:

Chances are, you are not going to stumble upon instantly viral content and if you have, then you are SO lucky! Although you might not come across million view worthy things when you are out and about, there is still content everywhere. Sometimes, it helps to think small instead of big in terms of content, especially when you are feeling uninspired. Then, you can appreciate all of the little things that are just as post worthy too. This always helps me! Take a walk and post about how you felt in nature, write about your favorite knick knack at home; if you think that it is worth writing about, then it is. Simple as that. 🙂

Never stop learning:

There is, truly, a lot more to content creating than meets the eye and the online world is changing constantly. There are always going to be new social media platforms, trends, and techniques to learn and it’s important to stay up to date with them. Myself, for example, didn’t get an Instagram until the end of 2021 and I regret that because it’s literally the easiest platform ever and I just said “hard no” lol. Educate yourself by learning about SEO, analytics, trending topics, and ways to increase your visibility and incorporate it into your content. There are so many tools out there to help you, but they’re only going to help if you familiarize yourself with it first.

Have fun:

At the end of the day, I genuinely think that content creating is fun. I love to write, take pictures, explore, and I enjoy being on social media. If you are not feeling the joy of creating something, then it might be a good time to reevaluate what you are currently doing and see where you can improve. It’s okay to take breaks and give your mind a chance to refresh so you can get back to creating and having a blast while doing so.

Stay organized:

I cannot recommend a publishing schedule enough, especially when you are first starting out. This helps your viewers know when to expect your posts, look forward to them, and keep checking in. When I first began lifewithlilred, I was posting willy nilly with no set schedule and I quickly learned the benefits of establishing one. I went from twice a week content to every other day to every day in the near decade of my page’s existence. Having this set in stone schedule definitely assisted my page’s visibility. Create a schedule that works well for you and commit to it. Content is being created every second of every day all over the world. Random postings are very easy to get lost among the crowd!

When it comes to content creating, be patient with the process of it, stay motivated, and have fun. Whether you are getting one view or a million, you created something you were proud of and that’s the best thing of all!

What is your favorite social media platform? What are some of your content creating pro tips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May6

Self Employment 101

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Self Employment 101

Hello! In a recent post, I shared my pro tips for Working From Home 101 and I thought I would share my thoughts on self employment as well. For close to a decade, I have been working under the best boss in the world – myself! At times, it is stressful and difficult, but it is also so rewarding and I truly couldn’t imagine working under someone else ever again. I love what I do as an Independent Provider for people with special needs and as a Content Creator and I have had years to perfect my method. All of the following works for me and maybe it will be helpful for you too:

Organization is ESSENTIAL:

When you are self employed, it is up to you to handle everything and if you struggle with organization, it can be a struggle. Thankfully, I live to organize and thrive with a fairly strict schedule, making this aspect of self employment one of my favorite things. Sticking to a schedule and staying on top of things eliminates any surprises from interfering with your work flow. To keep myself in check, I follow these steps:

Paperwork: Getting behind on your paperwork is one of the absolute worst things that you can do. This is why I refuse to end a day without completing all of my forms both tangible and online. I also set aside time at the end of every month to complete my mileage log for my taxes. I am very meticulous about my paperwork and keep everything organized in a filing cabinet in my office. It just makes things easier to have everything I might ever need at the ready and even if it is annoying sometimes, my businesses wouldn’t thrive otherwise.

Scheduling: One of the benefits of self employment is making your own schedule. This freedom can be utterly intoxicating if you are used to waiting around for a schedule from a previous job. However, don’t enjoy it too much! Falling into the trap of “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “I have plenty of time to get it done” sets you up for failure. Creating a schedule that works for you and that you know you can commit to is only going to help you!

Taxes: Filing your taxes is going to be different than usual when you’re self employed and I cannot recommend getting familiar with this process enough. All year, my “tax” file in my cabinet gets a lot of use and by the time tax season rolls around, I have nothing left to do but schedule an appointment. When you learn what things can be “written off”, you can not only save money but step up your record keeping game. It’s a win/win and, of course, if you have any questions along the way, call the person who does your taxes!

Stay Cool:

When you are self employed, you are making the plunge from “employee” to “business owner”. It is very easy to get overwhelmed by this and the best thing that you can do is to keep a level head. Staying cool, calm, and collected allows you to make rational decisions for your business and it’s never good to make these calls when you’re stressed. As the owner of two businesses, I know firsthand that juggling so many different things can be intense. Whenever I notice that I’m feeling the pressure of this, I allow myself to take a break, clear my head, and start fresh.

Keep Learning:

Even if you are your own boss, you should never stop trying to learn new things to improve your business. Find a mentor, take classes, do your own research, and ask questions. You don’t want your business to plateau, but grow! My mentor has helped me SO much in skill development, educating myself, and mastering new things. Finding someone to take you under their wing or at least brainstorm with can boost your business in ways that you might not have even considered. Be curious, ambitious, and willing to learn – it will take you far!

Enjoy Yourself:

Being self employed is something that not everyone has the luxury of doing and it’s something that I feel very lucky for. I remember this often and even on crazy busy days, I am still happy that I am doing it all by myself. Shifting your mindset from “this is too much” to “this is pretty awesome” will make your days so much more enjoyable, even under stress. On rollercoaster days, just put your hands up and enjoy the ride because you never know where your business will take you!

My businesses have thrived from being highly organized and highly motivated and I feel so proud of that. These tips help me out every day and gives me the drive to keep going forward in my own self employment!

What are some of your self employment pro tips? What is your dream job? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May1

Working From Home 101

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Working From Home 101

Hello! One of my goals for 2023 was to gain more opportunities to work from home. On January 3rd, this was answered through a partnership with a tech entrepreneur and I have been his in house writer ever since! It is the absolute best and now I spend my mornings working from home doing what I do best: Content creating and social media. At first, this new job was a bit stressful on top of my work schedule as an Independent Provider for people with special needs. However, I have gotten my work from home flow down pat and these simple adjustments keep my days running like a fine tuned machine:

Sticking to a schedule:

This seems like a no brainer, but a solid schedule is how I achieved optimum success. Once I learned that my mornings were going to be different, I immediately formed a schedule and a new wake up time based on how long it takes me to complete everything else I need to do. Unfortunately, this meant starting to get up at five AM every morning and that was really hard at first! However, after about a week, my body adjusted to the “early bird” BS and I am so thankful for that lol. I was able to work out to the minute how long it would take me to take care of Mel and Pen, shower, write for lifewithlilred, eat breakfast, and start WFH while still making it to all of my afternoon clients on time. In writing, it seems like a lot but this schedule sets my day up to run smoothly and I would be lost without it!

Break time:

I am an on the go type of gal and one mistake that I made when I began WFH was not allowing myself a break or two. This is why I now eat breakfast almost every day and when I have spare time, I watch an episode of Assassination Classroom on CrunchyRoll. It might not seem like it, but sitting in an uncomfortable chair in front of the computer for hours on end can be really draining – especially when you have another job to go to after! Whenever I am feeling stiff or my brain needs a breather, I know it’s time to get up and stretch or tool around on Facebook for five or so minutes to get myself back in check. All work and no breaks leads to burnout and I now know that taking a ten doesn’t hurt my work flow but help it drastically.

Communication is key:

When you work from home, obviously, your boss isn’t in the next room over so you can ask questions. Therefore, communication is key to WFH success. My boss and I are essentially on the same schedule in the morning, which means that we can hop on a conference call, game plan, and I know he’s just a call away if something doesn’t make sense. Working from home does give you some free reign, but that means nothing if you didn’t do what needs to be done correctly. I used to not be the fondest person of asking questions and now I know that this is a no no and I highly encourage check ins so everyone is on the same page.

Don’t forget to end your day:

When your home is your office, it is SO easy to forget to stop working lol. The saying goes to not bring your work home but what if your work is already at home?! Believe you me, whenever I get a new email or message from clients after hours, I want nothing more to respond immediately and that’s not good! Like any other job, clocking out at the end of the day means that you are done and it is important for your own well being to respect that. Unless it is an absolutely urgent matter, I consider my work day done at five o’clock and I am so glad for it. If you struggle with not being able to turn your work mode off, I cannot recommend setting up an out of office email enough and setting limits for yourself because you are only going to end up exhausted.

I have been working from home for five months now and it took some time for me to get the hang of it. All of the above helped me out so much and I hope some of these tips work for you too!

What are some of your own WFH tips? Do you prefer going to work in person or virtually? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar19

Lil Red: A Creature Of Habit

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Lil Red: A Creature Of Habit

Hello!! At the moment, I have three jobs and my life has been very busy. I work as a provider for people with special needs, create daily content for lifewithlilred and complete online work, and I just began a new marketing gig in January. At some point this year, I will cut back on my work in the field and give myself more time to not only work from home, but relax with a less demanding schedule. For now, however, I am enjoying the ride and I love seeing all of the hard work I put into lifewithlilred come into fruition in my new job.

With three jobs under my belt as well as being a very active bunny mom, I have been asked a lot since the beginning of the year how I have been managing. I am no stranger to working several jobs at once so this isn’t a brand new situation for me, but it does help a lot that Lil Red is, first and foremost, A Creature Of Habit. Because of this, my days run like a fine tuned machine and all of the following components help me to achieve this:

Sticking To A Schedule:

My schedule is the most important thing to achieve optimum success during the work week. Without it, I wouldn’t have the time to care for the bunnies in the morning, create content, and work from home before going to a client’s home. This morning routine came into place this past November when Johnny and I brought Mel and Penelope home, but it became an absolute necessity when I started my new job at the beginning of the year. Of course, waking up at five AM is not my idea of a good time in the slightest. However, if I don’t, my work day wouldn’t end until six or so in the evening and that sounds like less of a good time to me. Sticking to this schedule has lots of obvious benefits and my weekend days feel very off when I don’t have to follow through with it!

Forming Good Habits:

Prior to bringing the bunnies home, I was able to sleep in a bit later and was never too pressed if I had to hit the snooze button once, twice, or several times! As wonderful as it was to get the extra Zs, this was a habit that I needed to break for my day to run smoothly. Believe you me, I would LOVE to hit the snooze every morning and if I am extra tired, I will every now and then. But, I like being able to relax when I get home from work rather than work more. Fighting the urge to hit the snooze is definitely a habit that I am glad to have made.

Another good habit that I have formed fairly recently is establishing a meal schedule. Since my days shifted to a much earlier time and I have a lot to do, I go from hungry to hangry really quickly and that is not okay. During my mornings at home, I have penciled in time to have an actual breakfast, pack a snack or lunch for later in the day, and not be completely ravenous by dinnertime. I have come to realize how important it is to fuel my body for long work days and it has helped so much in reducing how rundown I have been feeling.

Take A Break:

Going nonstop is my forte, but it’s not a good thing to be gifted in lol. If I have the time after online work in the morning, I have given myself permission to take a break. Usually I will give my brain some breathing room by watching one episode of Assassination Classroom on Crunchyroll or reading a chapter or two in whatever book I’m working on. Because I work for myself, no one but me tells me when it’s time to rest for a bit. If I had an employee, I would most certainly allow for breaks for them, so why not me too? Even little breaks throughout the day to stretch and hydrate are helpful and it keeps me from completely crashing later. Total win/win!

Creating a schedule and habits that work for me took a decent amount of trial and error, but I am fully satisfied with the end result. I am proud of the work that I accomplish and, honestly, look forward to getting up every morning to see where the day takes me!

How important is a schedule to you? What do you like to do during break time? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb10

Work/Life Balance

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Work/Life Balance

Hello!! I don’t know about all of you, but I have been feeling So. Freaking. Exhausted. At the beginning of the new year, I formed a partnership with a local tech entrepreneur and have been putting in work. So much so, that I have been clocking in close to fifty hours every week between my jobs for the past month and change. It is tiring but the opportunities that have opened up for me are very exciting!

The work/life balance is something that everyone talks about. However, is it something that they are actively trying to pursue or does it just sound good? Lol, I definitely fall under the “think about it, but don’t do it” category and I know that this is something I need to change to avoid burnout. If you, too, struggle with making time for you amidst a busy schedule, you are not alone! In fact, you are in great company because I’m right there with you! Let’s explore some ideas we can all work on to achieve a better work/life balance:

Take Breaks:

During the work day, I try to allow myself a few five minute breaks throughout to get up, stretch, and hydrate. You can do whatever you see fit, though, to relax for a spell. Watch a funny YouTube video, read a few comic strips, grab a snack – whatever is clever. It is so easy to just keep on working even when our brain is literally telling us to take a pause for a couple of minutes. Remember, that the work you are completing when your mind is feeling mushy probably isn’t going to be something that you are fully satisfied with.

Make Meals:

I, personally, notice that I am not getting a proper work/life balance when I am not cooking meals for dinner. This was actually the first key indicator that I needed to slow down a bit when I saw that my fresh groceries were going to waste. Of course, no one is saying to cook a five star meal every night but I always feel better when I have something homemade for dinner. My goal is to at least make a few simple meals per week because I enjoy cooking as much as I do eating!

Make Plans (And Stick With Them!):

I’m going to be honest with all of you, the past several weeks of this workathon, I have had so many plans and I pretty much bailed on every single one. I was just too wiped out and canceling made me feel worse. This taught me that, for the time being, I need to make plans that I know I can stick with because anything more would be stretching myself too thin. However, we all need to give ourselves permission to have fun so don’t cut all evening activities out and fill your schedule with things you enjoy when you are able.

It’s Okay To Say No:

Always remember that it is okay to say no when you are feeling especially overrun. Knowing your limitations of what can and can’t be achieved in a certain time period will go a long way and can stop burnout in its tracks. I am such a people pleaser that I rarely say no to anything work related and I know that this is something that I really should improve on.

When a work/life balance seems impossible, carve out small periods for you throughout the day until you get back on track with a normal schedule. You will thank yourself during your next mini break!

What stresses you out about work? Do you achieve a good work/life balance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah