5 Women Share Their Secrets To Achieving A Healthy Work-Life Balance
One of the things I've learned about work/life balance is that it doesn't exist, at least not in the way most of us think it does.
In reality, it's more like a juggling act as we try to keep every piece of our lives from falling by the wayside. From family and friends to securing the bag, there are so many different areas of our lives that we, as women, want to make sure we don't forget about.
I spoke with five women who share their tips on how they at least achieve enough balance to keep their peace of mind because despite all of our obstacles and responsibilities, we've proven we can have it all, and make it look easy.
Kierra Lanice | Professional MUA
Courtesy of Kierra Lanice
One of the ways I practice a work/life balance is having quiet time in the morning. I wake up with a more soothing alarm instead of an abrupt one that scares me out of my sleep. This is followed by 15 minutes of praying, meditation, reading or devotion. The key is that this time has to be spent in a designated area outside of your bed.
I also don't think I could have a work/life balance without writing everything, from schedules to tasks and goals, down on paper. Doing this allows you to hold yourself accountable more when you see your own handwriting versus something you type or try to remember on your own.
I've gotten to the point where I schedule time to talk to family and reconcile relationships.
I try to connect with someone in my family at least once a day; not on social media, but on the phone; my siblings, elders in the family, younger cousins, distant relatives, etc. A simple 3-5 minute check-in takes your mind off of your life bubble.
A major benefit I've found in my journey to a work/life balance is the "Do Not Disturb" button on my phone. We live in a high-tech, low-touch society. Turning my phone off to constant notifications and emails allows for more time to focus on what matters in the moment.
I learned to be honest with myself and communicate when I'm getting overwhelmed. If you can lie to yourself, you'll lie to anyone. I had to set boundaries and learn to communicate when they're crossed. This is HUGE for me.
Dani D | Radio Personality
Courtesy of Dani D
It's honestly not easy for me to balance my work and personal life because they run so closely together. Being a radio personality is a lifestyle. I'm a public figure, so being transparent comes with my career. But I try my best not to 'over share.' Everyone doesn't need to know everything.
On Sundays, which are really my only off days, I take time for myself to talk to God, get in a good pampering session, clean, eat something good, read, or just binge watch my favorite shows.
"Me time" is crucial for my sanity!
I also make sure that I spend a good amount of time with my family and friends. I never let work get in the way of relationships that are important to me. Overall, I've found that there are ways to balance work and life. It's not easy, but it can be accomplished without a doubt!
Kenni Powe | Model
Courtesy of Kenni Powe
For me, a work-life balance is feeling content with every area of your life. As a career woman right out of college, I was sucked into the "work hard" lifestyle of Corporate America, so I'm grateful the corporation I work for believes in this balance and provides an easy work lifestyle.
I think a peace of mind is the main thing to maintain; peace of mind knowing that everything won't always go as planned. When you have a healthy balance of work and play (meaning life), you feel more at liberty to manipulate your schedule without being afraid.
I am the type of person who believes in boundaries in life and that every piece of your life is only as big and successful as the time you put into it; balance creates contentment. You can't feed one area in your life while the other areas starve and call yourself successful.
I believe balance curates freedom, creativity, flexibility, stamina, and tenacity to fight for what you want in this life and what you will sacrifice to get it.
I am a To-do List Calendar Junkie! I love making daily, monthly and quarterly lists to ensure my image of success for my life is maintained. Some people measure success by the money they gain. But success to me is being passionately fulfilled and at peace with my life decisions. Back to being a junkie; I routinely ensure that I touch every segment of my life every day in my daily list. This normally starts off with a heading of what makes me who I am and fulfills me as a person. The headings generally include: GOD, Food, Health (workout), Public Projects (community service), Business Projects (corporate), Home, Knowledge, ME ME ME and Events. The best part of creating these lists is when you get to mark something off of it. Marking a check or scratching through something on my to-do list is like a natural high and toot of my horn. I feel like the queen of Wakanda and a champion of life.
Another tactic in maintaining this lifestyle is a balance of theoretical and actuals. I'm not a "life is bubbles and unicorns" type of girl, so I try to balance optimism and realism; myth and perfection. I ensure I don't battle my faith with actual natural abilities. Meaning, I love to look at numbers and I do believe numbers don't lie, however, I don't set my expectations of my abilities based on a reality of a situation. Everyone's maintenance is different but being a To-do List Calendar Junkie Optimistic Realist is how I maintain.
Remember to always unplug, meditate, give yourself props, self-analyze, prioritize and above all let go of perfectionism.
Gabrielle Flowers Rader | Vlogger & Influencer
Courtesy of Gabrielle Flowers Rader
For me, work/life balance is kind of tricky since I work from home with my husband and the majority of our work stems from documenting every day life. Starting the day with some form of "me time" is super important, whether it's heading to the gym for an early morning workout or taking the time to read a couple of devotionals and pray. When I allow myself to have that time, I can move through the day feeling more focused.
In order to amp up my productivity, I take the time to brain dump and make a list of all the things that need to be done. I then prioritize which tasks are truly important for the day and utilize time-blocking to make sure there is a space for them to actually get done. When you work from home, it helps to have designated times in place or else your day will just run together and you'll look up and wonder where the time went. To keep me in the mind frame of work, I set office hours and try to complete business tasks in my home office or a local coffee shop for a change of scenery.
Once the important tasks are complete, I switch gears and focus on spending quality time with my family without distractions.
To be completely honest, every day doesn't look like this. There are some days where I'm on it and then there are others where I struggle to get anything done. You can't give 100% to every single thing at the same time and that's okay. I often remind myself of that when I feel like I'm getting off track and then give myself grace to try again the next day.
Kristyn Alexis | Lifestyle YouTuber
I currently manage a YouTube channel of almost 150k subscribers, which is a part-time job, and I have a career in medical devices, so my life is crazy! I also have three kids – one in college and twins in elementary school.
Maintaining a good work-life balance starts with scheduling. I plan everything in advance from cooking to working on my channel. I recently obtained my certification in project management and had to scale back a lot, but I maintained to keep up by keeping my schedule. I also feel it's important to get lots of sleep and plan fun times.
Staying busy keeps me sane and happy, so while my crazy schedule works well for me, it wouldn't be suitable for everyone. My fiancé is also supportive of me doing as much as I do. That is critical to the success I have experienced in my life.
The last thing I think is important is staying scrappy (a term I learned while participating in a group called MLT – management leadership for tomorrow). It means having a determined resolve to complete any task, and it has helped me to stay on track.
Overall, balance comes from prioritizing and support.
Featured image by Getty Images.
Related Articles:
How To Find Balance When Your Life Is A Tightrope – Read More
What Self-Care Looks Like To Blogger & Plus-Size Style Expert Rochelle Johnson – Read More
I'm Good Luv, Enjoy: How Saying 'No' Keeps Your Life Balance In Check – Read More
5 Ways To Protect Your Inner Peace – Read More
- Two Secrets to Achieving Work Life Balance - Millennial Employee ... ›
- The secret to achieving work life balance ›
- 12 Secrets to Achieving a Good Work-Life Balance as a Business ... ›
- Comparing Secrets for Achieving Work-Life Balance ›
- Michelle Obama's Secret to Work-Life Balance | Money ›
- The Simple Trick to Achieving a Perfect Work-Life Balance ›
- The Secret to Achieving Work-Life Balance - Conscious Company ›
- 10 Secrets to Achieving the Elusive Work-Life Balance ... ›
- 5 Secrets to Achieving and Maintaining Work-Life Balance ›
- 5 Secrets To Achieving Work-Life Balance ›
Charmaine Patterson is a journalist, lifestyle blogger, and a lover of all things pop culture. While she has much experience in covering top entertainment news stories, she aims to share her everyday life experiences, old and new, with other women who can relate, laugh, and love along with her. Follow Char on Twitter @charjpatterson, Instagram @charpatterson, and keep up with her journey at CharJPatterson.com .
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Tyler James Williams Explains Why His And Quinta Brunson 'Abbott Elementary' Characters Should Remain Friends
While Abbott Elementary fans are hoping that Janine and Gregory end up together, the show’s star has another take. Tyler James Williams plays Gregory on the Emmy award-winning sitcom, and he recently stopped by The Jennifer Hudson Show to share his point of view on his storyline with Janine, which Quinta Brunson plays.
“I hate to say it. I know that everybody’s always mad at me for this. I don’t necessarily want to see them together,” he revealed. “It’s partially an actor’s choice, but also somebody who, like, I read a lot of scripts all the time. I watch a lot of TV, a lot of film. I don’t think that we see displays of platonic love between two people often. I think it’s really easy to go right to they have feelings for each other, therefore they should be together. I like this dynamic of exploring withholding that and just actively loving each other where they are. That I like to see more.”
If you recall, they were co-workers who became friends but were secretly crushing on each other. They’ve had many awkward run-ins during and after school, like the unforgettable club scene where they were dancing nervously with each other in season one, and in season two, they finally kiss. However, it only made things even more awkward, and they decided to just be friends. Tyler further explained why he thinks it’s important to showcase that type of relationship on screen.
“I think it’s time for that. I think TV allows people to see things that could be their lives for the first time, and I think seeing a healthy friendship that is deeply caring about one another in a work atmosphere needs to be shown more than the relationship,” he concluded.
Abbott Elementary comes on every Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images