I was in Sydney a few months ago for a conference and one of the presenters put up some slides around general health and well being. I thought, “No problems, I feel that things are balanced”. Fast forward 30 minutes and there was something seriously wrong with the way that I had been working. I like my work, correction, I LOVE my work. I get lost in my work for hours at a time, and I am always thinking of new creative businesses that I can build or be a part of.
BUT, all of the things that I juggle; family life, three children, running a business, investing in self care have taken its toll on me and I had to re evaluate what was going on and allow my old habits to die and create some new ones.
Are you sitting there wondering what on earth could have prompted such a strong response? Yes? Here are some of the questions that I was asked;
· Do you feel like you are just hanging in there some days?
· Do you regularly work late nights and on weekends?
· Do you crash on weekends?
· Do you get sick on holidays?
· Do you have a few too many unhealthy habits?
I answered yes to each question, clearly something had to change, it was not sustainable to do nothing. Luckily, I had a very cool tool that I could use to do this, I created an ‘Agile’ wall at home, to help me focus on one thing at a time (and they say us women are great at multitasking!).
Here are some of the things I have tweaked and will work on with deliberate intent over the next 21 days, as I work to create a habit;
· Get 30 minutes a day of natural sunlight
· Book an hour a week with myself to sit, reflect, think and pray
· Use 10 minutes in my day to practice mindfulness, slowing my breathing, slowing my pace, and just appreciate what is around me
· Get up at the same time each morning and go to bed at the same time each night
· Turn of all technology an hour before bed, give my body a stretch, take a hot shower and read until bed time
· Focussing on one thing at a time
So, after ten days, I am going great! I just need to keep focussed on it. So far, the benefits that I have seen are better sleep, more energy, better resilience and a greater engagement of those around me. I have noticed that work expands to fill the hours, however when you have limited time, you are fully focussed on what you need to do. I can honestly say, I look forward to the hour before bed time that I get to just stop and be.
I would love to hear how others also do this, I need all the tips I can get!