I recently did a keynote speech about work/life balance which seems to have replaced the catch-cry ‘having it all’. But as part of their program, they asked me to do a list of the 10 things I rely on for balance. Here they are but I’m sure you have some that are way better.
1. Treadmill
I need exercise to balance my head. It’s like my switch-off time and I often write in my head while I’m walking or running. After exercising, I always have a million ideas.
2. iPhone
I don’t know if this helps with balance or totally stuffs it but I certainly can’t be without it. I have an app that allows me to monitor the back-end of Mamamia so I can see comments as they come in and publish posts if I have to.
3. Twitter
The people and media organisations I follow gives me the perfect blend of work, play and entertainment. I use Twitter in so many ways. To drive traffic to Mamamia with my own tweets, to stay abreast of breaking news by following journalists, to keep in the loop of friends’ lives by seeing what they get up to when we don’t have time to speak and to point me in the direction of fantastic stories on the web I would have otherwised missed via links.
4. My children
There is nothing better at bringing you back into the present moment than having to change a nappy, make a bottle, mediate a dispute between siblings, answer a question, deal with a tantrum or give someone a cuddle. Children live exclusively in the present and they demand the same from those around them. It’s a necessary antidote to all the living I do inside my head and on my computer.
5. My laptop
Some days I work from home, some at the office. I also have to work in airports, on planes, in hotel rooms and occasionally in taxis. My laptop enables me to stay on top of Mamamia and post wherever I am.
6. Tea
I drink gallons of it – always in giant cups. More like buckets than cups actually. I stopped drinking coffee when I was pregnant with my first child 13 years ago and never started again. I don’t even drink caffinated tea, I only drink Madura with is very low in caffeine. And I still get a buzz out of it. That’s how pathetic I am.
I’m lucky enough to have a job and run a business that involves doing something I adore – communicating. In many ways, the lines between work and play are quite blurred for me because creating exciting content and helping women feel good about themselves and giving them a voice to share their experiences is what I love to do. So work is not entirely ‘work’. It’s also play.
8. My girlfriends
Absolutely vital to go out and have wine and talk about everything. I have a tight group of girlfriends I’m extremely close to and I need my fix every week or so via dinners.
9. My husband
Working and living together is interesting. I hated it at first but now I can’t imagine NOT doing it. Yes, it can be intense at times but running a website as a small business is so all-consuming that if we couldn’t talk about it and share it all, it would be pretty isolating.
10. Writing.
Writing for me just gets more and more pleasurable. I feel centred when I’m writing and I’m so lucky that I have so many different outlets in which to do it for an audience. I don’t take that for granted for a moment. Whether it’s my Twitter followers or here on Mamamia or my column in Sunday Life
What do you rely on for balance in your life?
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1. My Little Madame
2. My tall and handsome boyfrand.
3. katesinmelbourne.com (if I don't blog, I can't sleep)
4. Flat white with two sugars.
5. Red wine in the winter and white wine in the summer.
6. My bestest girlfrands and gals nights in/out.
7. University, where I can get away with feeling 18 again while feeding my brain.
8. My enourmous family.
9. iPhone (incl. Email, Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin', Google Maps)
10. Hair and beauty products and a cute wardrobe so I feel stylish every day. Even when going to the park to push LM on the swing.
I didn't add sleep to my list. I've learned to live without it over the past 15 months. I push through the insanity by telling myself she will eventually sleep through the night.
1. Adequate sleep
2. a part-time job
3. quality time with child
4. Healthy meals
5. daily walking dogs
6. herbal tea
7. time with girlfriends
8. facebook
9. time out reading/internet
10.Vegie Gardening