Progress not Perfection
June is the last month of the 2nd quarter. The halfway mark of the year--half time.
There’s been a lot of happenings since this year began. Seems each month brings its own trials, enough to make us anxious, afraid, unsure, and for some, triggers to their mental health. Enough to knock us off our own self-care as we work to get through each situation.
Take a Pause
As COVID has shifted our working lives to remote working, furloughs and layoffs, and less socializing, the shift is a necessary pause to reflect, make changes, start/get back to, or complete tasks, or revisit hobbies we found ourselves too busy to fit in at the end of our workdays and commutes.
If you’re fortunate to still have your job and the ability to work remotely, use the time to create balance.
Creating balance is finding a way to evenly distribute effort in every area of your work/life so that you start making yourself a priority, by using pockets of time to maximize your time.
Before you can find ways to maximize your time you have to first identify where you are wasting time.
What’s a Pocket of Time?
Pockets of time are those times when you’re scrolling through social media, watching TV, etc. Using your lunch break to sit at your desk and work through lunch rather than step away and take time out for self, enjoy your lunch, read a book, pay some bills, sit still, go to the gym or for a walk, work on personal goals or hobbies.
COVID has reduced our commuting time (if you’re a non essential worker). There’s a pocket of time you can use to your advantage. Think of how much time is spent commuting to and from work daily. Might not seem like much time to devote to something other than work, but multiply those hours/minutes by 5 days a week and the time becomes much greater. Even greater if you multiply that by the weeks in a month, and the months in a year.
It’s not the amount of time we have left after the end of a workday, it’s the progress made within those pocket of times to truly create a work/life balance.
Balance
If you’re working from home, keep your same work schedule, use your lunch break to do the laundry, pay the bills, organize some things, exercise, be still, eat lunch, start dinner, read a book.
Balance doesn’t create itself; you have to create it. Every small step toward creating balance is progress. Effort is about progression; not perfecting balance.
Be safe, stay well, and to all of the healthcare professionals, you are truly appreciated!
XO ~ Gillian
PS…At the time of writing this month’s blog, I delayed posting and even considered not posting, as we are going through a civil unrest. Racism still rears its ugly head. Police brutality, the killing of black lives. Protests, riots, looting—anger. But there’s also awareness, awakening, a shift. And though we may not see that shift or feel it, it’s there. I pray for our healing, I pray for our peace, I pray for our lives. For Black Lives Matter, then, today, always.
Say their names #ahmaudarbery #breonnataylor #georgefloyd
