You might have noticed that I was blogging daily for a while and then suddenly, I stopped. It’s not that I don’t care or don’t want to blog; it’s that I run out of time. With a national consulting firm that just landed on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America and a my Get Your Girl Back movement in full swing, some days I find it difficult to balance both. I do prioritize, am organized, and love both with a passion. The fact is- some days and even some weeks, I simply run out of time.
I imagine you can relate to this? Ha! As I grow the Get Your Girl Back movement, it’s important that I too keep my girl. I’ve learned that sometimes you just have to say no and let it go. No one has ever written to me angry that I’ve not written my daily blog. I imagine most people don’t even notice that I’ve not written it at all. When it’s there they read it and when it’s not they don’t- it’s that easy. So when things get crazy, I skip the blog.
As women, we tend to over think things, obsess about being perfect and worry or feel guilty when things aren’t done just right. An admirable idea but who ultimately pays the price? You and I! My challenge to you is to focus on creating a strong work life balance. When the list is longer than the clock, rather than staying late and coming home from work fried, grumpy, hungry and overwhelmed with the night ahead of cooking, laundry, bath time, homework and more, just stop. Go home at a reasonable hour, and if you work a 9-5 job, for sure by 6 at the latest because the fact is, the work will still be there for you tomorrow. More than likely you will never get caught up. No one will notice if everything on the list is not accomplished (but you) and that extra hour or two you put in, while heroic, isn’t going to move the needle that much.
To Get Your Girl Back and achieve life balance, you must get in control, prioritize, and set parameters around those very important goals. We are not here on Earth to work, we are here to live- work is just a part of that life, not your entire life. I know this may sound good to hear but virtually impossible to do. What you must do is decide, does this sound good to you? Is this something you would like to try? If so, take the first step. Before you leave work today or tomorrow, spend five minutes at the end of your day doing what I call a Daily Wrap Up. Wrap up daily details, move things that did not get accomplished onto your task list, update tomorrow’s calendar, review it all- take a deep breath and leave. Trust me, it will all be there waiting for you tomorrow. Meanwhile, I imagine more important things from family to pets will be waiting for you at home.
Your mind will mess with you a bit, throw in some guilt, and cause anxiety, but just refocus your thoughts on what it is you want. What is waiting for you at home, what else could you do with that extra hour or two rather than spend it working? It’s your choice to stop- so just do it and focus on balance and true quality of life. Want more ideas? Download the first Chapter of my forthcoming book, Get Your Girl Back, my gift to you, at http://gygb.com/gygb-chapter-one/.
Written by Traci Bild
Founder of the Get Your Girl Back movement