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Life, NYC, Self Care

Achieving A Better Work-Life Balance

November 21, 2016 By Robyn 2 Comments

Happy Monday and short week. Today I have my one of my best friends, bridesmaids, and soul sister Jena Viviano writing in this space. A short two year friendship has felt like a lifetime with her. She’s loaded with wisdom, truth bombs galore, and has a heart that loves seeing women harness their passions + gifts to excel in the workplace. You guys, she’s the most graceful and confident woman I know and pours knowledge and inspiration into me daily. Beyond being bold and ambitious, she’s a career coach who will get you fired about about living with purpose in the workplace – whatever that might look like for you. So I hope you enjoy her here today!

Balancing work and life is tough! But it is possible. | The Real Life RD

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I’m going a zillion miles an hour. For me, I guess I do it to myself.  That’s what happens when you have a full-time job training people, own a career coaching business of over 200+ clients, are knee-deep in church-related things, try to start a mission-focused organization with two other #girlbosses – oh and attempt to date and get sleep and exercise and be a good friend and all those other important life things. Like buy toilet paper.  And make my bed.

worklifebalance

I guess you could say I’m one of those people who loves to stay incredibly busy. You can ask Robyn, I’m always throwing a new project idea her way (my newest one: kombucha cocktail/mocktail line – TELL me you wouldn’t be into that).  There’s just something about creating that gives me life.  But I also know that at some point, the see-saw I’ve been tottering on will absolutely buck me off and I’ll be laying face down in a pile of tears, exhaustion and probably a couple extra pounds.

I’m sure you can relate to some capacity, right?  Well, if you’re looking for some reprieve, especially during the holiday season, here are a couple of things I’m trying to implement right now to create a healthier flow of work-life balance.

worklifebalance

Creating a morning routine

This is all the craze these days, I know. “5 Minutes to Your Best Day!” “This Morning Ritual Will Change Your Life And Land You a Boyfriend” “Wake Up Early and Do This and See Your Life Completely Transform Where You’ll Be Floating On Happiness Like Mermaids and Unicorns All Day”  We’ve all read these articles.  But how do we realistically evaluate what could actually work for us? For me, I’m really going to hunker down and do three things really well in the morning.  I’m not going to hit the snooze button.  I’m going to head to the gym for a short, impactful workout.  And I’m going to read my Bible.  Every day. That’s the goal.  Hopefully, my brain will be a little more focused as I approach my work day with vigor, zest and rest.

worklifebalance

Reserving Friday night for me

One of our dear friends Hannah Jane introduced me to this novel idea: almost every Friday, she spends the night free of social obligation.  As in, alone.  Especially in a city like NYC, it’s easy to get sucked into the social activity and have major FOMO, particularly for an extrovert like myself.  But I’ve noticed, that if I don’t have introverted time, I have a hard time resetting, especially after a long work week.  So, I’m going to try and implement (for what I think is the third time) this practice.  And if I can’t give myself the entire night because of commitments that just CAN’T be missed, I can at least give myself an hour at a coffee shop curled up with a book, some time in the piano studio or a glass of wine alone at a bar. What do you think? Easy enough.

Calendar blocking

Lately, I’ve been trying to be very diligent with my calendar.  My ENTIRE life is in Google calendar – from work functions, to coffee dates to career coaching sessions.  And now, I’ve programmed an alert to tell me to go home and rest.  I’ve also blocked off Thursday and Friday for purely social/me time functions.  That means, if I have to get some work done – it has to be done Monday through Wednesday evening.  This forces me to reign in my responsibilities and be more thoughtful about how I spend my time.  It’s all about intentionality people.

worklifebalance

Saying yes to saying no

I’m really terrible at this, because I tend to be a people pleaser.  But, I’m really trying to focus on prioritization in my life.  That looks like asking myself questions like: Do I need to stay late to do this extra bit or work, or would it actually be better if I came in a wee bit earlier because that’s what I’m most productive?  Should I take on that extra project even though it’s way beyond my capacity?  What about that client who has been on my wait list and I feel really bad because they have a career emergency and want to hop on the phone on a Sunday?  No.  The answer is going to have to be no.  Especially if it’s not going to be life-giving. And you know what, it’s okay to turn down social activities because I actually just want to go to the gym and take a nap. A bit more saying yes to saying no.

worklifebalance

Cook more

This one is going to be really challenging, because I am so not gifted here.  But, I think in an effort to reign in my food budget and spend more time in my kitchen, I’ll be spending less unnecessary time in the office.  I love my job, so I have a tendency to work even when I get home.  My hope is that by not allowing myself to hop out and get a quick eat, I’ll be spending more time intentionally cooking & eating, saving money and feeding my body what it needs versus an on-the-go treat. Plus, I just re-watched Julie & Julia and I kinda want to learn how to be Julia Child.  Anyone want to join me?

Hopefully these were actionably inspiring! I know how challenging it can be to separate work and life and social and create more balance.  It’s a constant thing I’m trying to improve upon.  Hang in there, friends, you got this!

Are you looking to make a career change in 2017 as a part of your plan to be a healthier, whole you?  You may want to consider career coaching, because it can be a stressful, confusing endeavor.  Jena is offering all The Real Life RD readers 10% off her 6-week 1:1 coaching program (code: REALLIFERD)!  She’ll walk you through her methodology for finding work that you love (plus, she’ll redo your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn and don’t we all need a refresh there?!)

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Filed Under: Life, NYC, Self Care Tagged With: happiness, healthy balance, life, nyc

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Comments

  1. Kaitlin @ California Endless Summer says

    November 21, 2016 at 4:39 pm

    These are all wonderful reminders! I especially love the Friday night, cooking, and saying yes to saying no. By doing all of those, I believe I would be more refreshed to have genuine social time and not feel as burnt out!

    Reply
  2. Heather @ Polyglot Jot says

    November 22, 2016 at 9:25 am

    Great advice! I also have a hard time saying yes to no but am always glad when I take the time to myself!

    Reply

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A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

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A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years o A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years of getting to spend so much time with my kids: aka another way I’m discovering some pockets of peace so my heart & mind & soul don’t crumble under the reality of dependent & emotionally dysregulated tiny humans.  About once a week we go somewhere for baked goods. We drive or walk, buy something buttery & then find a beautiful, relatively quiet outdoor spot where the boys can romp and I can sit and think my thoughts while I watch them play. This past week we were found ourselves at the Wool Factory where the boys threw rocks & whatever else off the bridge while I ate 90% of this almond 🥐 from @coucourachou that will blow your mind. Boys ate the other 10% bc they were busy playing and didn’t ask for more quickly enough 😜  I’m finding *for me* playgrounds have a time & place but they aren’t where I enjoy motherhood & my two toddlers the most. Baked goods & a pretty outdoor spot without high drops my 15 month old could launch himself off of…I’m here for it.
I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the boys to hike out at one of our favorite spots last week and when I ripped it open I was regretting my choice to share them with my kids. @baresnacks randomly sent me a box of snacks and I usually eat free food we receive or give it to a friend/neighbor and move on. But I felt it my duty to tell you about these bc they are THAT GOOD. I’m not getting paid and this isn’t sponsored - I was just shocked at how tasty these were and felt you needed to know. We ate them with some buttery roasted nuts and the combo was 👌🏻 but they are good just on their own.  The boys climbed rocks and swam in the reservoir - leave it to my almost 3 year old to want to strip down naked and fully submerge himself in chilly water on a sixty degree morning. “Mama can I get super nakey?” Sure baby. Sure. This is your childhood.
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a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face from @mariebettecafe this morning when she came to get her toddler who played with us all morning and it is v good. even better when paired with an iced latte 😍
#AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing a #AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing about how taking @alignprobiotic regularly has improved my digestive regularity.  And I’m still taking them! I’ve permanently added Align 24/7 Digestive Support* into the roundup of supplements I take before bed (prenatal, vitamin D, choline & DHA - all which help keep me healthy while breastfeeding) so I can keep seeing the benefits.  Just because you see benefits, doesn’t mean you should stop taking your probiotic. Keep taking Align daily (under the supervision and recommendation of your health care provider of course) to keep seeing the benefits!  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - one of my favorite parts of Align probiotics is that they don’t need refrigeration AND they come in a convenient little blister pack that has the days labeled. It’s the little things people! #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoo I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoon (91 and muggy in MAY 🤯) when a toddler nap was refused and a baby nap was cut wildly short ....so my tired mom brain pulled out two plastic storage bins, filled them up with soap & hose water and striped ‘em down naked in the yard. Two hours later, it was almost time for an early dinner and I had magically been able to sit for most of that time and we already had baths checked off the list. 👍🏻 I’m archiving this idea for my future self, hope it helps another tired mama out.
#AlignPartner I left off a month ago sharing about #AlignPartner I left off a month ago sharing about getting better at doing the basics to care for myself which included taking my supplements and @alignprobiotic regularly.  Probiotics take time to work so I wanted to give it a full month to see the full effects of @alignprobiotic. So here are my honest thoughts: it took a few weeks to notice any differences, but near the end of the month I did notice some changes in my digestive balance - even while traveling! I’m not someone who experiences occasional gas, bloating or abdominal discomfort frequently enough to notice a difference, so I don’t feel like I can comment on how well Align works for those benefits.  All in all though, taking @alignprobiotic was a positive experience and I really appreciated how the capsules don’t need to be stored in the fridge, making it convenient to take them with me anywhere #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Where we will spend a good majority of our summer. Where we will spend a good majority of our summer. Because the swampy VA summer has already begun (it’s in the low 90s today 🥵 lord help) and creeks are our retreat - not only from the heat but also from the noisy world. I need this just (if not more) than they do! We’ll be at the splash pads and pools too, but the quietness of the creek...my mental health is so about it. And it’s hours of play for them! Win win.  A couple things to note: this scene also included a few toddler reminders on finding another direction to throw rocks instead of at his brother - so not all is serene 🤪 and also, yes I am now that mom who buys the same clothing for both kids bc it keeps things simple & i think i kinda like it too 🤷🏻‍♀️
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Just walked in from an appointment with my midwife because I was due for a Pap test + an overall wellness visit. My last pap was during my first trimester with Cal which feels like a jillion years ago, but it’s only actually been three years. Life changes so fast! Pre-baby life feels like a whole other life.  I’m wayyyy overdue for a visit to my PCP bc I’ve been under OBGYN or midwifery care for the majority of the past three years while having babies, but I am pretty good with keeping up with my paps. It seems women often think they need pap and/or HPV testing way more frequently than they do (and providers sometimes perform these tests more frequently than necessary - remember more testing doesn’t always mean better outcomes!)  So if you need it, here’s a quick little reminder on this chilly spring Friday afternoon on how often you need this testing (these are the recommendations from ACOG)  Women aged 21–29 years should have a Pap test alone every 3 years. HPV testing is not recommended.  Women aged 30–65 years should have a Pap test and an HPV test (aka co-testing) every 5 years (preferred). It also is acceptable to have a Pap test alone every 3 years.  If you get abnormal results, this testing frequency could change - but for healthy women with normal results, you actually don’t need testing as frequently as you might think. Which is great news for those of you who hate the speculum.  Ok, off to finish up some things on the to-do list (including cleaning this kitchen) during nap time and then come 5 o’clock, crack an IPA with our neighbors 🍻
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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