Over the last few months, I’ve really been enjoying the weekends. We’ve been doing a little bit of road trip traveling (I call it that because it’s something where we can visit <10 hours of drive time) and spending time at the cottage..
It’s good to unplug; get away from technology, and enjoy the outdoors.
When I set out on this 30 Days of Clicking Publish, I knew that in order for me to be successful was to take breaks from the weekend. I didn’t want to pull out a device to compose a blog post. I also knew I didn’t want to frontload the month by writing a couple of posts per day.
I knew that in order for me to succeed at this, it was important for me to not take away some of what I put in place over the last few months, and that included breaks. My weekends are mine. I enjoy time with family, watching my kids grow, getting to experience new things with them.
Health Work/Life Balance
The past couple of years have been an unprecedented work/life balance. It’s no fault to anyone but myself. It started in 2015 when I first joined Liquid Web. We needed to build brand recognition in the WordPress space.
However, I was the only person at the time that had any connections to the community. My wife and I were expecting our first child and she spent a lot of time resting those first couple of months on the weekend, so we decided it would be ok for me to be gone just about every weekend to attend a WordCamp.
The short of it is this. At some point, I found it prideful to say that I was working for 4 weeks straight.
It wasn’t the fault of my company. It was my fault. I made those choices.
Fast-forward a couple of years and I’m sure you can guess where this is going, I felt like there was no longer a work/life balance. When Mach 2020 hit and conferences were canceled, everyone shifted to working from home, and we lost our babysitter for a period of time, it intensified the fact that I no longer had a work/life balance.
I found myself working all hours of the day. It was about the health of the company, more than it was about my own personal health. It was a compounded time where I felt like I could never get ahead or get through my to-do list.
It was a complex time in my life that we’re only skimming the surface on.
Finding a Balance
Stepping away, disconnecting, trying to achieve a more healthy lifestyle has been something I’ve found myself working on over the last 6-8 months. It’s been about finding a way to create a truly healthy lifestyle where I get to experience life with kids under 5. I get to be present in their lives each and every day. I get to take them on adventures getting to show them the sweetness in the world.
If it’s not about spending time with those that you love, being present in their lives, then I’m not sure what we’re doing here. It’s about making time for those things that matter most to you. Whether it’s spending time with loved ones or spending time on hobbies you enjoy, unplugging from your job, your day-to-day workflow, is important.
What do you do to find work/life balance? How do you check out? Let’s connect on Twitter or my newsletter.
