Work/Life balance. A term bandied about as if by saying it enough times, one can attain it. Do we hope that like Dorothy, if we click our heels together and say Work/Life balance three times we'll return to Kansas?
I don't know about you, but conferences always bring Work/Life balance front and center for me. I leave them energized and filled with ideas. And then. Reality hits. The list of ideas looks like an anchor. I'm overwhelmed; zapped of any inertia I left the conference with.
So this time I'm doing it differently! I'm going to let go of what I'm not doing (or getting to) and enjoy the moment. I'm going to live the pretty.
Do you occasionally focus on the pretty?
This time last week, I attended Alt for Everyone, Alt's first online conference. Like Alt Winter 2013, it was a fire hose of learning and networking. I filled a notebook with thoughts and ideas. (I'll share recaps next week.) I created a new to do list almost as long as my arm.
Monday morning dawned and with it the inevitable post-Alt blues. My post-conference to do list, in addition to my routine to do list and my already existing to do list for the blog, seemed insurmountable. So what did I do? I put aside my to do lists and I focused on the pretty.
Instead of tackling the ugly laundry, the toys scattered across every floor, I did the following:
- Styled and photographed the gifts in the Alt for Everyone Goodie Bag.
- Contributed to May's Project Brown Bag (update 8/21/2015: site no longer live).
- Had my hair and makeup done for date night.
- Got a family portrait (first item on our Summer Bucket List).
- Pinned some fun things to do in San Francisco for people's Summer Bucket Lists.
- Wrote a letter to my snail mail pen pal.
Work/Life balance is a temporary state; it's accomplished by changing focus. It happens as the ball you're dropping passes the two you've just tossed back into the air. Or for me in that instant when I focus on the pretty and ignore the ugly.
This weekend, along with my husband, we'll tackle the ugly. Somehow laundry and cleaning sound more fun when you're working as a team and maybe we'll get to a couple more items on our Summer Bucket List.
Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.
DISCLOSURE: I received all of the products featured in this post from Alt Summit as a registered participant in their Alt for Everyone online conference. All opinions shared are my own.
Goodies shown: Shea Butter and Orange Lip Balm from Ivory + Ash; Chevron Statement Necklace from Zelma Rose; Cherry Sours from Sweet's; Hello Notecards from Pixel Impress; Cupcake Flags from Lingering Daydreams; Camera Pencil Case from Blue Q; and Alphabet Crayons from A Childhood List.
