Work-Life Balance – What does that even mean?

One of my goals for 2022 is to become better at – or should I say attend? – Yoga sessions. There, I spend an hour trying to balance on one leg, doing sun salutations and whatever strange and painful pose the instructor feels fit. I’m not great, but I manage. Ask me to close my eyes, and it’s a disaster; I wobble, topple and ultimately fall. This experience very much symbolises my own life, trying to balance work and family. From the minute I wake, I bounce from ‘Yes, I’ve got this’ to ‘Help, I’m drowning’.

Getting the balance right is something I think we all struggle with. For me, it’s not about how much time I spend at work or the quality time I spend with the family; it’s how I deal with and manage my own guilt.

As a business owner, my day is filled with tasks and the added pressure of ensuring everything is a success. This means I often stay late and feel guilty for not feeding the kids tea in the kitchen. So I leave, go and stand in the kitchen, feed the kids, and then feel guilty for not being at my desk. It’s a cycle of guilt – and the crazy thing is it’s all created by me!

As 2022 began, I made a few promises to help free me from the guilt monsters. First, I’m going to be kind to myself, even when I know it’s all going a bit ‘Pete Tong’.

Running and fresh air are my reset buttons, and I’d love to say I run because I’m training for some big event, but I’m not. Just me, music and my usual little 4K route. That’s all I need to get on top of things.

At night I keep a notebook by my bed, so when those thoughts come barging in at 4 am, I’ve got somewhere for them to go. Some stuff is clearly weird, but I get my best ideas for my business at this time.

Sleep is just wonderful and, having had three children under 5, I’m a professional napper! I’m not going to feel I have to be super productive every day. I take my foot off the gas and some days, I just relax, reconnect with friends, just stop and be in the now.

Ultimately, this feeling of trying to balance work and life and then feeling guilty for never achieving it means I run from one to the other most of the time. Ironically, sometimes I stop, turn to the kids and say, ‘ok, here I’m all yours, what shall we do?‘ and in the usual teenage style, they reply, ‘it’s all good, mum, I’m fine, but can I have a lift?‘.