Life tastes better with balance... You need just the right amount of rum, lime and sugar...

I recently wrote a blog about balance and how to find out what balance means to you... Which prompted a conversation with a friend on how does 'one' actually find balance?...

My favourite cocktail is a Caipirinha... To make it, you just need Cachaca (white rum), lime, sugar and ice... The right balance of all and it tastes amazing... Get the balance wrong and it's really not good!!

I work full time and have 2 lovely little girls who are always full of energy! And I try really hard to balance work and motherhood (plus have time to go out for cocktails with the girls every so often)!

It is important to me that I am the best I possibly can be, at whatever I do, whether I’m at work or at home. I need to feel that I am the best possible version of me. 

I love my job but I also love being a mum, as I said, I have 2 girls who are 2 and 5 - don’t get me wrong, it can be hard work coping with early morning wake ups and the terrible two's! But I don't believe I have to choose between motherhood and a career.

The role I have is quite demanding but for me it’s all about balance and choosing in life what I will and won’t compromise on. When I first went back to work after maternity leave for me, it was imperative that I would be the one, not my husband, who would collect my daughter from nursery every day, which meant I had to leave the office by absolutely no later than 5.30pm every day. Before having kids I would rarely leave the office before 7.30pm and I didn’t know how I’d manage leaving ‘early’ but for me it was a non-negotiable… 

Think about what you're trying to balance and what 'good' looks like for you.
What are your non negotiables?
What won't you compromise on?

To do this ‘non-negotiable’ I make sure that when I’m at work, I’m ‘at work’ 100% - between the hours of 9 to 5.30 I constantly reprioritise.  When it comes to people, my team are most important, followed by my manager, other people have to wait if I’m busy. I am also constantly challenging myself on what meetings I go to and if I really believe I will or others will get something extra from me being there. Will I shape, drive or influence the conversation or decision?

What are the things that you will prioritise?
What are the things that you get involved in on a day to day basis that will really make a difference?

When I'm with my girls from 6pm that’s it. No more emails or thinking about work until they're in bed, and even then for my own sanity, apart from when I have the odd deadline, I‘ll read, but not reply to, my emails on my phone and that’s it. I encourage my team to switch off when they go home.  As a manager I lead by example, I try not to email my team out of hours and I expect them to follow suit.

I truly believe that you have to properly switch off when you’re not at work to feel like you’re doing a good job at home.

So by prioritising and deciding what your non negotiables are, hopefully you can achieve the balance that is right for you.

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