10 Ways to Have a Balanced Career
Balance. We all crave it, especially those of us who are Libra’s like me. Whether it’s eating a balanced diet, exercising enough each week, meditating, maintaining quality time with loved ones, sleeping eight hours every night or even adjusting our careers in order to feel fulfilled, balance is key to happiness and prosperity.
Here are the ways that I maintain my balance in my hectic career in marketing:
1. Make a Plan. If you don’t have a plan, you have utter chaos, which is the polar opposite of balance. So, you need a plan! To maintain balance and focus at work, you must lay out a plan of what tasks need to be tackled and what goals need to be met—whether it’s for the day, the week, the month or the year.
2. Make Lists. Without lists, I would forget the priority order of tasks that I need to complete, and my balance would be completely thrown off! Hand-written, digital or calendar lists are key to organization and balance in the workday.
3. Adjust Your Plan as You Go. Things don’t always go as planned, so sometimes you have to adjust the sails a bit to keep your balance. Just like life, a woman’s career can have many twists and turns. But, if you maintain strength and stay calm, you will overcome obstacles with grace and eventually find your balance again.
4. Give and Take. If you think about it, life is all about give and take—in relationships and at work. If the give and take is not balanced, it can cause friction, resentment, and frustration. So, make sure the amount you are giving and the amount you are taking is the right balance for you.
5. Create a Morning and Evening Ritual. I must admit I’m guilty of sometimes checking my email as soon as my eyes open in the morning, and right before my eyes close at night. But, this is a BAD habit that can cause anxiety and stress. Although I slip up from time to time, my morning routine consists of drinking a huge glass of lemon water, a small cup of coffee, and reading the news online.
6. Share Your Journey Online. As a social media strategist, I value sharing my life’s journey on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Snaphchat. When I accomplish big career milestones, I am excited to share them on social media. After all, if you gave your all in a certain job for several years, you deserve to share your promotion online with your network! Or if you land a dream job in the next phase of your career, share away! You deserve to shine sometimes.
7. Exercise Regularly. Although exercise is not directly related to work, I know that without regular exercise in my weekly routine, I would completely lose my balance. If you want to inspire creativity in your mind and reach career goals, exercise releases endorphins that make those things possible.
8. Make Time for Solitude. Alone time is a precious and important part of being balanced. After a hectic work day in meetings, on phone calls, and collaborating with colleagues; or after a week-long conference jam-packed with extraverted activities, it’s essential to have some solitude.
9. Show Gratitude for Your Success. You’ve worked hard to accomplish your goals, so pat yourself on the back, and show appreciation to your team members, boss, partners, or whomever helped you in getting there. It takes a village, and showing gratitude is proven to exude happiness, and promote a balanced mind.
10. Breath. Because as you may have learned in yoga, without breath, we can’t keep our balance!