Living Well: Balance Your Work and Personal Life

So I’ve been asked, how do I balance my work and family life? How do I run my own business as well as look after two under 5’s? How do I keep on top of my house whilst my partner works away 5 days a week?
 
You know what, I don’t know! We aren’t all perfect, there is no right or wrong way to live your life; it’s all about finding what works for yourself and your family.
 
Finding a balance between work life and personal life can be a challenge for us all. If you have a job you love, it’s super easy to pour your heart, soul, and every waking hour into it. After all, sometimes it doesn’t feel like working. But this can be hard to turn off from, I find myself editing before the children go to school, taking images whilst they are at school and then more editing when they go to bed…
 
Ive decided to make a tips and ways to manage both and start enjoying your day to day tasks and im going to take a leaf out of my own book and try to stick to them! 
 
So here it goes:
 
1. Log off your e-mail.
That’s right, I said it. Phone on silent (and no, vibrate does not count as you’ll still find yourself checking it every time it buzzes!) This will help you maintain some focus, and it will remind your company that your attention is on them, as it should be.
 
2. Limit work talk with your partner. 
Create a time limit on the amount of job-related focus that you and your partner share at the end of every day. After all it is sometimes so easily done to get cut up in hours of conversation about what happened at work rather than a conversation about yourself. My partner works away Monday-Friday so at the weekends we are now having a NO WORK rule (except one weekend in every month when im allowing bookings).
 
3. Plan downtime intentionally. And stop cancelling or re-scheduling those plans! 
don't cancel on that night out with your friends, the meal out with your hubby or the play date with your kiddies because your 'too busy' stick to your plans and make time for the important things in life!

4.  Minimizse social media
I realise that Social media is part of our job in this day and age and is so important to our businesses. But it’s a time-suck. And it has a way of drawing you in and before you know it an hour has gone. So, schedule in your social media time and stick to it. Not only that but don’t allow social media to take over your time you have with the kids/partner. We spend enough time staring at a screen. 
 
5. Take care of yourself.
My new year’s resolution was to be more selfish… that’s right, to think of me. I’ve decided to schedule in some time for no work, no children, no responsibilities and focus on just little old me. Ive decided to join a Slimming World on a Monday and go to Yoga on a Wednesday. That’s two whole mornings every week without anything else to focus on. Yes, I realise you’ve heard it before, neglecting yourself does not make you a better worker, mother, spouse, friend, or volunteer. It just makes you tired, unwell, and cranky. And it’s hard to do anything well then.
 
6. Let Go of the Guilt
My daughter is going to school this year, and my son is in year 2 btu child care is still needed when working late or when my partner has to stay on over the weekend. Rather than dwell on how you're not with your child, think about how your role in the company is benefitting the family. Perhaps you can afford certain classes or trips out for your children or you're able to put away savings for a holiday. "The most successful career mums have found ways to be efficient in both worlds—and that requires being able to come to terms with choices and focus on the priorities that are in the moment," Accept that there will be good and bad days.
 
Yes nobody likes a show off who’s got their life together but in reality nobody is perfect. It is something that will help to de-stress you and prepare yourself for everyday. Just remember to push yourself to do these as it is easily said “I’ll do that later” or “it can wait”. Once you’ve learnt the art of organising everything life will seem to fall into place. 

A photographer I know does this extremely well, all with the help of her pet dog! Emily owns, Emily Frances Photography  which specialise in newborn photography.