Finding Balance as a Manager

Our to-do list never gets smaller, it only grows, so how do you balance your work life and personal life?

Everytime I see an article on the subject I'm so eager to read it because I want to know how this person balances it all. What is their secret to a successful work/personal life balance? 

So, I found the secret. There is no secret! It’s all up to you as an individual to maintain a healthy work/personal life that best suits you and it's one of the most challenging things to commit to.

I’m finding it very cultural. Where you come from will make an impact on that balance. Coming from 35 + years experience in the Hair & Beauty industry in the US, I have seen and worked with owners, stylists, managers to mention a few and everyone does it differently. A good friend of mine, whom I worked alongside with for many years as a stylist, was just starting out as a full time teacher, part time in the salon and going to school at night to complete her master’s degree and planning a wedding!  She had the busiest schedule I had ever seen. Others, well, when they were done with their last client they walked out and went home. There was no squeezing in clients, no adding a day to get more of your clients in. For them, their home life was just as important and they were working hard to keep it that way. 

Then there's the guilt. Taking a day for yourself. Taking that vacation. Why do some feel less entitled to enjoy what they work so hard for? In our industry we are working with people all day long. The exchange of energy alone day after day should convince us that we need a healthy break from time to time. 

It doesn't make you lazy or uninterested in achieving the best,  it just makes you balanced. A healthy lifestyle. 

So for myself, I plan in advance. That weekend getaway, I put it on the calendar. Take that Sunday off in advance so you have a long weekend. Book that flight! If we can schedule our work days out in advance, we can certainly schedule our personal life too. You have to be consistent with it though. You can't work 6 months straight,with no breaks and go away for a few days and expect to come back to work all refreshed. It doesn't work like that because by the time you come down from all the adrenal build up inside of you it’s time to go home. You go back into work feeling even more depleted. Your personal time off needs to be consistent. You need to find your balance. Take some time off let's say every three months. You don’t need to go away on vacation, if you can do that then great.  You can also just stay at home and sleep late, binge watch Netflix or even sleep all day! 

Being consistent in taking time for ourselves is a good way to stay balanced. Taking care of everyone first will lead us to be simply depleted..

What’s your secret?

Charlene x