Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing several amazing women on how they juggle all the responsibilities that come with their professional and personal lives. (Stay tuned for the article in our mental health library!)
In addition to sharing what works for them, they provided a slew of solutions for readers, too. Here’s what they had to say…
1. Challenge society’s standards.
In our society, productivity is prized and praised. We reward workaholic ways, even though this is both emotionally and physically unhealthy.
As such, productivity coach Laura Stack, MBA, suggested “challenging the social acceptance — even society’s encouragement — of these common phrases:
- ‘Look how productive you’re being. You are accomplishing great things’
- ‘After all, you possess that strong work ethic your father instilled in you’
- ‘Hard work is good for you, and you’re not about to become a slacker’
- ‘You just love your work; it is your hobby, in fact, and you’re doing great things for people’
- ‘You’re having so much fun that it just doesn’t feel like work’
2. Set priorities.
Sara Caputo, MA, productivity coach, consultant and trainer at Radiant Organizing and author of the forthcoming e-book The Productivity Puzzle, quoted productivity expert David Allen, who said: “You can do anything you want, you just can’t do everything.”
As she said, “This is where it’s important to look ahead, do your planning, set your priorities and goals and then work the plan.”
3. Use your commute to plan ahead or unwind.
Instead of thinking about work well into the evening, leave yourself voicemails of any reminders for the morning, said Stack, also author of SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best. Or use your drive time to listen to music or books on tape.
