It is Fall and everybody’s calendars seem to be overflowing. I just recently had a conversation about that with some of my friends and it really prompted me to write about busyness on my instagram this week. It also really got me thinking about the good old work life balance. But the thing is that it’s sometimes really difficult to keep the balance because it would mean giving all things in our life equal weight at all times. But that isn’t the case, right? Sometimes there are things, which we are passionate about, things we really need to invest into and they take our time. And that means that some of that (work life) balance gets lost in that particular season.
I read something by Beth Kirby at the beginning of this year which really confirmed what I believed in my heart on the whole work life balance subject.
“Balance implies everything has equal weight all the time. I believe in boundaries, but not balance. I don’t believe anything great was ever created meting out time to it in a stingy way. Passion is going all in. It’s long days and late nights. It’s a pendulum swing. What’s important to me is not living these perfectly balanced days where everything gets equal weight, but rather in knowing when to swing back. You have to define your non-negotiables, and then the rest of your time if fair game.”
I know what my non-negotiables are and I am still learning my boundaries and creating margin.
Now to us singles: I know sometimes we feel like people just assume we always have time for everything and work life balance (although we just established what I think of that) doesn’t exist for us.
And I hear you which is why first of all I want to tell you that your time is valuable. I know that we also have a life and we need to recharge and rest and create margin and boundaries like everybody else. But being single we actually do have more time because we don’t have a family to take care of. It is easier for us to say yes, to try different things and to invest our time in a way that married people or people with children cannot.
So here’s what I want you to do:
- Define you non-negotiables. Mine are my time with God, going to church, spending time with my family, working out 5 times a week and having at least one night or Saturday morning off.
- Create margin by writing it in your calendar. I have my Saturday morning marked but I also know that in a season like this Fall I will not be able to stick to that. And that is ok. I give myself that grace because I know it is just a season and I will make up for it.
- Find out what you are passionate about and then go after it with full speed.
And then say yes. Don’t be knows for saying no to mostly everything because you can’t handle it because it is too much. Be known for saying yes to the right things and sticking with it. Let your yes be a yes and your no be a no.
Let’s not quit on things because they are too much but learn to be smarter with our time and resources.
Much love
Ramona
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