Since lockdown, we have all been much more aware of our work/life balance. If we learnt anything during the time we were closed it was that we do not want to feel overwhelmed, overworked or overtired anymore. So many of us have improved on ways to manage our mental health and we’ve learnt that down-time is just as important as work-time.
We’ve got the low-down from business consultant Phil Jackson who has shared his top tips for remaining calm around the chaos.
What’s needed?
How can you achieve a work/life balance when you’re unsure on what it is you want to achieve? Phil says, “Imagine your life as a pie chart. Where are you willing to spend your time, your effort and your energy? When you look at those slices, does your goal setting seem realistic? If you’re trying to achieve 45 projects that are going to take an awful lot of time, effort and energy and you’re only allocating ten percent of your time to those projects, something has got to give.”
It’s ok to let something go, even if it’s just until life seems less chaotic. At Respect, we’re all about prioritising, we allocate more time to the projects at the top of the list and work our way down.
Have a plan
How will you achieve your goals if you haven’t planned a route to get to them? Phil says, “I want you to block out time on a weekly basis, get disciplined with your planning so that you can start moving towards your life goals. But it also means that you are going to get really good at saying NO!
I do all my planning on a Sunday evening. It takes me about an hour to revisit my goals, allocate my time and make sure that everything is as it should be for the coming week. Then if anybody asks me for anything during the week, I’m afraid the answer is NO. People are greedy for your time, they are continually pecking for your attention – you have to be able to protect your goals!”
One of our favourite sayings is: failing to plan, is planning to fail!
The long game
“Just because you’ve set those percentages for your time does not mean that I have to spend 35% of my time, effort and energy every week with my children. For example, August I don’t work at all – it’s purely about my kids. That means that July tends to be all about the business and I’m OK with that too. When I get to the end of the year as long as you’re achieving that balance over time, it’s okay for one area of your life to dominate in the short term,'” says Phil.
We know all about that, the weeks leading up to our LAB events are always a bit crazy, but August is a quieter month for us too with majority of the team taking holidays.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our next LAB event, click HERE
For more of the latest hairdressing news, click HERE.
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