I am a firm believe that it is never not a good time to create resolutions or revise old ones. After all, isn’t it all just a bit silly that we only seem to think about these things when one year ends and one begins, fail to pause and reflect throughout the year, and create a brand new set of sweeping unattainable goals to forget about just as quickly as we thought them up? (Although I do have a few things to say about making new year’s resolutions stick, and am definitely not against NYE resolutions when done right!).
Still, I think that as we go into these colder winter months, it is a perfect time to begin to think about the changes we can be making for the season as wall as general adjustments to our lives. Right now, my biggest hurdle is that I am the definition of a workaholic. I’m never not going to be a hustler because it’s just part of who I am and how I operate. And I actually value this trait in myself as it is what gets me out the door to make my dreams a reality. Still, as with everything in life it’s all about balance. So here are my tips/goals for creating a more well-rounded lifestyle:
001: Love your body and my mind
I am a major workaholic, which may not jive well with the whole Conscious Lifestyle mentality, but it’s the truth and at the end of the day Conscious Lifestyle is not an all-or-nothing mentality based on some concept of the perfect human being at it’s most enlightened state. Yes, that’s the goal, of course it is. But we are also human which means we are imperfect and part of being self-aware is recognizing this, but more on that in another post… Back to the point – I tend to keep really horrible hours and choose sitting in front of my computer working or running from job to job, event to event, with little time to focus on my mental and physical health. My goal right now is to start becoming more in tune with what what mind and body needs.
There was a period of my life when I was less busy where I was very active in yoga and meditation, and I would really like to pick this back up. My goal is to start trying to incorporate daily sun salutations back into my schedule. Plus, it’s a great way to get out of bed on a cold wintry day and wake up the body and mind.
002: Nourish your belly
Nutrition takes a huge back seat when you are constantly working as well. I can’t tell you how many times I order in so that I can sit in front of the computer and blog or edit photos for clients and LFB. I would like to give meal prepping a go, but I don’t think I have the capacity to do so at this point in time. However, what I would like to do is focus on eating healthier at the start of the day and watch my portion control – let’s just say I’ve been very cheeky as of late and I really want to change this. I also finally quit smoking cigarettes a few months ago so it seems like my appetite for all things edible has exponentially increased and I want to check back in with myself and work towards the body I want – a body that is strong to help me do all the things I want to do. I even went out and bought a blender today so I can start incorporating healthy smoothies into my morning routine.
003: Get those muscles pumping
I have a gym membership, but it’s almost laughable how seldom actually go. When I get into a good routine, I actually really love it, and for the times I do will myself to make it outside and to the gym, I never regret doing so. But as I always prioritize work over all else, it’s rare I am able to fit in a gym session. Thank god for skateboarding as if I didn’t have that in my life, I would probably turn into a giant blob of mess. My goal is to fit in skating 2 times a week and the gym 1-2 times a week. Health should always come first.
004: Live in the moment
So I never not think about work – except for when I am doing physical activity like yoga or skateboarding. However, for every other goddamned waking hour of the day, I am planning new photoshoots, thinking about new blog posts, coming up with new ideas, and trying to think of how I can get closer to the successes I want in life. As I have said above, being motivated is wonderful and I am proud that I am, especially when it is so easy to be lazy these days. However, it causes me to sometimes loose focus when out with friends and it makes it damned near impossible to just chill the fuck out. So here is to devoting more headspace to putting the mental to-do lists aside and trying to just enjoy the company of others and my own company guilt free.
005: Prioritize free time
Part of being your own boss and trying to found your own company is that there is a constant underlying stress that comes with knowing if you don’t get out there and do it, no one else is going to do it for you. I am okay with passing up weekend nights out more often than not to get shit done (case in point: I am writing this post at 1 am on a Saturday morning). Still, I don’t want to look back on life and only have work-related accomplishments to show for it. I also do not want to constantly feel guilty when not working. It’s this weird thing I have, where I literally feel like a naughty school kid who is out playing and ignoring homework or studying whenever I am not working, which is kind of insane, because I work overtime everytime. It’s time to actually block off free time each week and sit back, relax, and smell the roses.
These are my 5 goals for fighting workaholism – I hope they are helpful to any of you out there who tend to not know when the daily grind starts and ends. What kind of tips and tricks do you have for not becoming consumed by your work?
Photography: Jules
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