PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION
For as long as I have been blogging (7 years already! How?!?) I have also worked full time. When I first started blogging, it was strictly a hobby. Now it has become not only a hobby, but a full blown side hustle! Juggling my brand and my day job can be difficult. Some days I feel like I’m killing it and other days, I feel like I’m failing at both.
To make matters interesting, we’ve been planning our wedding since getting engaged last June. Wedding planning has become my third job in a lot of ways. I felt like I had a real handle on balancing my brand and my career and now I have a new challenge. I have partnered with Banana Republic to share with you how I strive for work life balance while working, blogging and wedding planning!
I decided to share tips on how I try to balance it all:
(1) Prioritize: For me, I find that I get frustrated when I feel like I can’t get anything done. The truth is, I still refuse to believe I can’t get everything done in 24 hours. I think you can call it Type-A problems, but I literally cannot sleep with something outstanding on my to-do list. I will have dreams (aka nightmares) about things that I need to get done. One week I had nightmares about the wedding because we hadn’t finalized the catering menu yet. I’ve realized that everything is not a priority. I can’t put out every fire, and I shouldn’t put the pressure on myself with unrealistic to-do lists. Every week, I make a list and prioritize the top things I need to get done for work, for my blog and for the wedding. I find that I get way less stressed out when I do this. For instance, there’s no need for me to be stressed about wedding decor when I have months to decide.
(2) Delegate: Learn to ask for help! I’m 33 and I still have a hard time asking for help when I need it. I always try to do it all myself and I get burnt out. Now, I try to be proactive and ask for help. I even went ahead and hired a weekend wedding coordinator to take over the wedding after I book all of our vendors. It still let me feel in control of the wedding but gives me the time to actually enjoy the process and the day itself because I know there is someone there I can count on to execute everything. Even small things like ordering our groceries through an app so I don’t have to worry about taking hours out of my day to shop.
(3) Make It Fun: Sometimes when you have a ton of things on your plate, you feel like all you do is work. By the end of the day you’re over it and that just sucks. I try to make things as fun as they can be. Even working from a new coffee shop you want to visit instead of your home office, can instantly make a work-filled day more fun. Also, I tend to mull over the small wedding details myself. But, when I turn it into a date night with me and my fiancé, it instantly feels fun and not like a chore.
(4) Be Willing to Sacrifice: One of the biggest sacrifices I made in pursuit of better work-life-balance, was transition into a work from home position. My job at the time was my “dream job” and it was super stressful and honestly I was miserable. I had no work life balance and no time to work on my brand at all. I decided to take a pay cut and take a more flexible job that allowed me to take more time for my blog and more importantly, myself. It’s the best decision I have ever made and I truly believe that having a better work life balance has made me a more effective attorney and influencer.
(5) Be Kind To Yourself: Look. Failure happens. I know it’s a hard pill to swallow. But, it’s going to happen. You are going to drop the ball. You have to give yourself grace and understand that you are only human. If you don’t get to everything, there is always tomorrow.
As you all know, I love a great suit! I love wearing suits for work and for play. All you have to do is make a few small changes. To transform my look for date night, I switch to a graphic tee/sweater, add a fun pair of heels and earrings and swipe on some red lipstick! Shop our Banana Republic pieces below!
Work Look: Blazer, Pants, Sweater and Coat (c/o Banana Republic)
Date Night Look: (on Me) Blazer, Pants, and Sweater (on Michael) Shirt, Pants, Sweater Jacket and Boots (c/o Banana Republic)
Thank you to Banana Republic for sponsoring this post!