Luckygirl Podcast01- Work/Life Integration

Luckygirliegirl .

Christina Aldan from LGDesigns.co discusses integrating work and life rather than chasing “balance.”
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OMG, it’s the beginning of the year. Are you overwhelmed? Family, learning new skills, time for yourself, chores, paperwork. I know, I get it, it drives me to bedrest for 9 days… I was the sickest I’ve ever been in the year 2015. There were multiple times this year when my body was exhausted by overcommitting and trying to manage a ridiculous schedule. Who better to speak about work-life integration than someone who is always pushing her limits? So that’s what we are going to talk about today: work-life integration. It seems to be a prominent topic in the world of today’s female entrepreneurs. We are overwhelmed. We want fewer challenges. We want less problems. We want things to be easier.

I’m a big believer in work-life integration. Lots of people talk about work-life balance and after trying to achieve that my entire career, I’ve come to the realization that it does not exist. Did you hear what I said? You can all stop making yourselves feel guilty for not attaining the impossible. Let’s focus more on work-life integration instead.

So what does that look like? Well, let me tell you how I do it.

1) I plan fun. I live in beautiful Las Vegas, where the top performers in the world put on the most extravagant shows you’ve ever seen! As locals, my friends and I get discounted tickets. Often times, we will get show tickets and schedule some time to see a live performance… even if we can’t stay for the entire thing. The point is, to make a point of scheduling a break. Sometimes that means a 20 minute walk through the nearest park. Sometimes that means 20 mins of words with friends. But I’ve got to have that time to reset my brain, connect with others and take a break for myself.

2) Remember when I said There’s no such thing at work life balance? I promote work-life integration. That means 24/7, there is no separation between work and life. It is all just LIFE. I see my personal trainer during the week when it is most convenient for me. I see my business coach on the weekends. I schedule a massage in between appts. It is all just LIFE so design your BEST life for how you work best. I am a night owl, and I get into trouble when I take early morning appts when I am not at my best. Owning this has helped me release a huge amount of stress and pressure.

3) I constantly evaluate what is serving me, what is working and what is not working and I am not afraid to ask my friends what works for them. I am a creative person and not always methodical. So I have friends in my tribe whose strength is methodology and systems and processes. I know exactly which friend to go to when I’m stuck on a methodology problem. Learning how to simplify my process helps me operate my business and manage my life more efficiently. Despite all of the simplifying I’ve done this year, there’s more work to do in this area of my life. It is far easier to encourage others to simplify than it is to do it yourself. This is just one of the reasons we all need allies, mentors, collaborators and friends who pay attention and are willing to tell you the truth.

Thanks for listening and I hope you found value in my message today. I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite motivational speakers, Jim Rohn: “Dont wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom.”

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Thanks and we’ll see you next time.