Life Lesson 6- Work, Life JUGGLE!

Many like to call it work, life balance…I think it is more like juggling! It is not just the job and family pins that are up in the air…there are MANY more. In my world I have the baby, the husband, the house, the career, industry boards I am on, my friends, social networking, blogs and me time. If you sit back and look at it is will make you dizzy. I have decided that the only way I can functionally get through a day and be a rock star at all of these is to juggle them and be completely present in the moment. What do I mean by this? When I have a certain pin in my hand (we are assuming I am juggling bowling pins like a circus performer right now, just for the visual) I am so completely concentrated on that pin. If I am at work, in a meeting, on the road or just in my office doing emails I am completely focused on work. I am the director of marketing of my company and no one else (unless of course the husband or babysitter calls, then I juggle the pins and pay attention to my family). When I am home I play by the same rules. I am MOM and WIFE. I won’t lie, I sometimes catch up on emails at night after the baby is asleep and the hubby is watching baseball but other than that I am present and accounted for! I have now added the new pin of blogging and social media to the mix so that adds just another pin to toss! Sometimes it is overwhelming to manage all of this and like anyone else I occasionally drop some pins…..but what I have learned is that it is REALLY important to realize why the pin dropped, pick it up and learn from it. There is no choice but to do this, and if you keep dropping pins you need to take a long look at your line up and make the decision to take one out. I have removed a few in my time and given myself a much needed break. It is of course something superfluous and expendable, and yeah I missed it, but priorities are a must if you are going to be successful! Take your life and rate the pins, family should always be first (jobs come and go but your family is your life) then work, then your “me time” and then fill in your social activities and associations. DO NOT drop your “me time” without it you will become a really annoying person to be around!
Want to know what I have dropped?
1. Coaching a high school team
2. Cleaning my house, no its not filthy, I hired someone
3. Going early to a sales meeting to play golf, dropped that one after the baby
4. Staying at the office late, now I leave-put the baby to bed and finish work after
5. Going to the gym after work, now I go at lunch, power lunch rocks!

Evaluate your pins, juggle like a pro and be present in the moment!
Driven Chick.