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What is life?! The first word that comes to mind is a “themepark”, and honestly I think that it the best word to describe it. In a themepark there a so many rides going on at the same time as well as SO MANY people. Likewise, in our lives we are constantly juggling different things consecutively whilst trying to enjoy the rides.

Clearly, we can never catch a break out here! Days go by and I wonder, where did the past 24 hours go?! Do you ever find yourself asking, “How do CEOs do it?” and “Do I really have the same number of hours in the day as Oprah?” These as well as so many questions are constantly circling around my mind.

As I mentioned in my About me page, I have so many interests and passion projects I would love to start. Ultimately, I love having my hands full (although it does get a lot sometimes).

At the end of last year, I started my business, where I sell aesthetically pleasing stationery online. As my business was new, I didn’t feel very overwhelmed balancing uni and my business. However, over lockdown, my business grew so I began to have more and more responsibilities and tasks. Then, 5 months ago I started blog, which added even more to my plate…

Today we are going to get into how to balance all things life! Studies, business, parenthood and so much more.

Yes, it is going to be hard but it is possible!

8 WAYS TO BRING BALANCE TO YOUR LIFE:

1. SET PRIORITIES

It is very important to set your priorities otherwise you will feel like you are constantly being pulled in different directions. I set my priority as university, which meant that this is what I spend most of my days and weeks doing.

Blogging and my business are hobbies that have turned into “work”, so after I finish my uni work I see it more as a break.

Whatever your priority is, you need to designate the most time to this. Your priority may not be something that is super important, it may just be something that takes up your most time. Either way, you need to know in your head what your priority is.

Setting clear boundaries at the start is crucial, otherwise you will only be skimming the surface of each “priority” in your life.

For example, if I am not on top of my uni work, everything else takes a back burner. However, because I love blogging and owning a business it motivates me to get all of my uni work done WELL do before I can work on other things.

2. TIME BLOCK

Here I go again!

Time blocking is incredibly important if you are trying to get organised in life. If you don’t know or have never time blocked before, check out my post on how to set everything up! When I time block my days, I use Google Calendar.

Firstly, add your priorities first, because mine is University, I had previously added my lectures and deadlines into my calendar at the start of the semester.

BEFORE ADDING UNI…

AFTER ADDING UNI WORK…

Finally, add time that you have left over to other work/chores/ social you need to get done.

OTHER CATEGORIES YOU CAN TIMEBLOCK:

• Business
• Blogging
• Side Hustle
• Workouts
• Me time
• Sleep
• Self-help

3. DESIGNATE DAYS FOR DIFFERENT TASKS

Allocating different tasks to specific days is a good way to create some sort of balance and routine. This can be done through time blocking similar tasks together or having certain days for different parts of your life.

HOW I SCHEDULE MY WEEKS:

• MONDAY- FRIDAY: UNIVERSITY WORK
• FRIDAY EVENING: BLOG
• SATURDAY EVENING: BLOG + BUSINESS
• SUNDAY EVENING: LEFTOVER WORK+ WEEKLY RESET

Don’t get me wrong, my business and my blog are very important to me but ultimately university is my biggest priority for the next 4 years.

4. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN

One of the key habits you need to adapt when you have a lot to do during the week is writing lists.

LISTS, LISTS, LISTS!! Lists are such a quick and easy way to help get all of your stress out on paper. Writing a GIANT to-do list containing everything in your mind that you need to do, is the perfect way to start attacking your tasks. I suggest using a notebook or your notes app.

Next, separate each task into subheadings and VOILA! Your to-do list is done!

Time to start ticking off your tasks…

5. PREPARE FOR EACH SEMESTER IN ADVANCE

If you are a university student, then I’ sure you all know how much work you are given in a semester. But, by preparing as much as you can before you are bombarded with deadlines will help you tremendously.

You will thank your past self for adding all of your deadlines to your Google calendar!

6. AUTOMATE EVERYTHING YOU CAN

Without automation, I would be going CRAZY!

Automating as much as you physically can really help you spend time doing other things that are taking up your time. Scheduling in advance is one of the best things I started doing this year!

What do I automate?

• Email list: I use Mailchimp

• Pinterest pins: Tailwind is the most important automation site if you are a blogger. Helps me release around 30 pins a day – link to blogging post

• Payments: Business payments, tuition fees

• Listings on my business page

7. REALISE IT’S NORMAL TO FEEL OVERWHELMED AT TIMES

Juggling all aspects of life can get overwhelming and it is very normal to have these feelings. The way you handle this stress is the ultimate dealbreaker!

Whenever I feel myself getting too overwhelmed, I immediately get up from my desk and do something that uses up less brainpower. I am definitely not perfect, I am very guilty of pushing myself to the extreme but that is an awful habit that I don’t encourage you to start. If you are similar to me, here are a few things you can add in between your workday to break up your day and exercise your mental health.

3 SELF CARE HABITS TO ADD DURING YOUR WORK DAYS:

• Journalling
• Take regular breaks
• Stretching in between long work periods

8. GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

If you are a self diagnosed workaholic then I highly recommend having someone in your life that will help keep you ontrack AND let you know when you need to take a break.

Having an outsider who observes and knows you personally, is a brilliant and effective way to take a break when you need one.

And that’s it!

It may seem like I have everything together, but I don’t! There are days where I am fighting back the tears (yes, I’m a stress crier!). There are days where I can’t work on my business or my blog because I needed to get all of my deadlines done. IT IS OK!

There is no such thing as a “perfect” routine, it will always be a constant battle. It is very hard and I am trying to find the right balance between being organised but not too rigid so I can have a social life (after lockdown of course).

I hope this post gave you a few more tips on how to add a bit more balance into your already very hectic life. You’ve got this! It will take some time to get into the habit of a routine but when you find the perfect routine that sticks, you will feel on top of the world.

OTHER ORGANISATION POSTS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN:

• BEGINNERS GUIDE TO GOOGLE CALENDAR + HPW IT CHANGED MY LIFE
• THE PERFECT WEEKLY RESET- 16 SUNDAY HABITS FOR A PRODUCTIVE SUNDAY
• 8 WAYS TO STAY ORGANISED AS A NEW BLOGGER| JUGGLING UNI + BLOGGING| FREE CONTENT CALENDAR
• BEGINNERS GUIDE: HOW TO SET UP GOOGLE KEEP AND USE EFFECTIVELY WITH GOOGLE CALENDAR