The elusive work-life-balance. I’ve been striving for it more than usual recently and have been contemplating writing a post about it for ages but was really unsure how to turn the content from something very dry in to something super stylish.
When Monsoon recently contacted us about a collaboration I knew their new home collection would be absolutely perfect to illustrate the post. The new range which launches today has global influences and includes an absolutely stunning moroccan style wedding blanket and heaps of textured and patterned cushions as well as a whole load of other gorgeous home trinkets. Lets just say when I do finally nail the work-life balance I know where I’ll be relaxing!

As many of you know I don’t just work for RMS and I have several other very time-consuming projects on the go too. In the last six months or so I’ve been finding it harder and harder to strike any form of balance between my professional and personal life. I’ve found I’ve been stretching my usual 8.30pm finish time to something nearer to 10.30pm if not midnight. Working from home definitely makes it harder but with an ‘always-on’ mentality I think a lot of us are guilty of letting work creep into our downtime.

I’ve read many pieces over the last few months on how ‘highly successful women’ manage their day and it turns out they are far more organised than me. It seems organisation and delegation is in fact the secret of getting the work-life balance. Therefore I’ve been trying to kick my procrastination habit and channel my inner Oprah by revisiting or trying out a few new things.

Wake up an hour earlier

Now this is tricky when you don’t switch off your laptop until midnight but as I mentioned in my recent exercise post I have been getting up an hour earlier when I can so that I can fit in a workout. Having a good move about is a really good way to start the day feeling energised and I feel a lot more productive because of it.

Kasbah Sequin Cushion and Moroccan Sequin Wedding Blanket

Prioritise and time slot

I’ve always been a fan of a to do list but recently I’ve been trying to categorise all the tasks into time periods; 8-9am emails and queries. 10-1pm feature writing. I’ve found this way I’m not getting overwhelmed with the sheer number of tasks and can be realistic about what I can achieve in a day. This way I also set a firm finishing time for myself too. It’s a work in progress I have to say but I’m getting there.
Aztec Pom Pom Cushion

Prepare outfits the night before

Taking a cue from Charlotte I’ve been revisiting this again as I started doing this a few years ago but it fell by the wayside. I don’t have a huge clothing collection as we all know I love a capsule but sometimes I’d find myself blankly staring at the rails wondering what I was going to wear particularly for a days at the office. Planning ahead means I can get out of the door ten minutes earlier which beats the traffic and makes the start of the day a lot less stressful. Also getting a tumble dryer has changed my life. Now there’s a fact for you.


Aztec Coin Cushion

Say no

It’s all been well carving out a spare ten minutes for myself here and there but the only way to really get myself some free time is to start saying no to things. I’ve turned down a few event styling jobs recently which has been really difficult as I hate to turn down work but realistically I just can’t fit it in. It’s actually been a big weight off my shoulders so I’m glad I bit the bullet.

Say yes

However on the flip side I have started to say yes to more social engagements. Since the start of the year I’d been declining catch-ups or postponing start times so I could fit more work in which really isn’t healthy. I’ve got a couple of dates in the diary coming up and am looking forward to closing the laptop for a few hours and making time for friends and family.
Fringe Cushion

Digital detox

I’m really trying with this one, like really, really trying. In the week I don’t think it’s feasible for me but I’m going to start giving it a go on the weekend. As I document so much on my phone’s camera I do feel it’s going to be a tough one to stop myself drifting in to emails. One thing I have found helpful though is to switch off notifications to apps over the weekend so I’m less inclined to get distracted and also leaving my phone firmly out of the living room if we watch a film or boxset.

Stripe Sequin Cube Cushion

Lunch plan

Just before we went on holiday James and I started to do this more. Even though we work mostly from home, it always seemed to be a surprise when one o’clock rolled round and there was nothing for lunch. We’re trying to cook larger portions of dinner now so we have leftovers rather than scramble around making unhealthy snacks or wasting time going to the shop or cooking lunches. This means I get a real break away from the screen even if it’s just half an hour.

How do you get a work-life balance? What are your tips for keeping a divide between career and leisure & pleasure?

This post is sponsored by Monsoon but there’s no way we’d be recommending this collection if we weren’t smitten with it. Have you seen that blanket?!