one of the hardest parts of post grad life for me has been finding balance between work and my life. the other day i read a really interesting article about millenials, that stuck with me because there was so much truth in such a simple premise: we are working a lot. but not in the traditional way, i’ve talked about this a bit before but millennials are setting new standards, we’re no longer seeking jobs that offer generous vacation packages or slaving away at corporate desks wearing a suit for endless hours. instead, we’re looking for jobs that allow us to have a work life blend, we’re working 3-4 jobs, wearing jeans and a tshirt, working from our laptops while we travel the world. we’re networking writing, creating, innovating, i feel like every time i turn around i see another recent grad launching a successful business/blog/startup. it’s so amazing and i love it! with al this, though, comes a lot of work, and in the world of constant connectivity it’s becoming even harder to disconnect and spend time finding balance.
i’ve been working really hard on finding balance in my life right now, and trust me i’m still learning the best ways to achieve that balance – i’m honestly not sure we ever find that perfect, harmonious balance, i think it’s a lifelong journey. there have been weeks that i feel like my work is sucking the life out of me, and that i’m not getting enough of the life part, it’s been a learning experience for sure. here are my tips to help find that blend, not just balance between work and life, but also finding some middle ground where both work and life outside of work can come together and coexist!
1. find a job that excites you and that allows you to do what you love while being yourself
2. make time to put it all away every day, whether it’s going to drinks with friends, seeing a movie, going for a run, a half hour of meditation/yoga or watching some good ol’ trashy tv, put your laptop and iPhone away to avoid burnout. put it in your calendar if you have to, don’t cancel.
3. learn to say no and be okay with it, you can’t do everything. there are only 24 hours in the day and 7 of those days in each week. don’t waste your time trying to cram everything in, you’ll end up missing deadlines, details and life. pick and choose what’s the most important and be okay with saying no!
4. surround yourself with people who get it, and want to see you succeed but also want to do the fun stuff. work hard, play hard.
5. don’t draw a line in the sand when finding balance, between work and life. find harmony, create a space that allows you to live your life without compromising your work. millennials, more than any other generation, have decided that we aren’t going to compromise and spend our lives in a job we hate.
what have you done to find balance?
