Having a career and a personal life is tough to balance. We live in a society where the more you work, the more hours you spend in the office, the more you are valued. You spent endless nights at the office working overtime no breaks, you hardly are eating or even sleeping. You wake up to emails on your smartphone and pick up fast food in between meetings and on your way home. Time slips away as you meet from one client to the next, answer emails, wrapping up a deadline and then before you know it, it is way past the time that you should be at the office. Did you forget to "namaste" today?
I used to work in a very fast-paced industry. Coffee was my gasoline. I would be ordering the Trenta Caramel Macchiatto with maybe two or three extra shots of espresso in order for me to get through my day (I know!). I was running on coffee the whole day not having time for a granola or eating a quick bar as I drive to work. My first official meal would be lunch which would be around 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm. After a long day of nonstop work, I sometimes would come home and just pass out. I would either skip dinner, have a microwave ready meal at home or pick up something along the way. When you have a very busy job that requires your mental and physical drive, the last thing you want to do is pick up a pot or pan and start cooking a three-course meal. You need something quick and easy while still maintaining a budget.
It was almost a year that I kept up with this routine. Since my schedule varied every two weeks, I didn't have time to commit to a gym membership or couldn't have a set routine for me to work out or to even prep my food ahead of time. My life was on the go. I would wake up, make my coffee, get ready and be out the door with my thermos and a granola breakfast bar for the drive.
As time went on, I realized I was so immune to coffee that it was no longer my gasoline. I could no longer feel if the coffee was strong. It was like decaf. That's a bad sign.
I noticed my skin was not in its best shape as well. I started researching if it was the humidity of the Miami summer or the food that I was eating. My research went from finding a face cleanser to reading about being healthy.
That's when I started to take care of myself. I started a teatox and drinking water with lemon at work. Although the food at work was not the best, this was the first step to a healthier lifestyle. After I completed two-week teatox, I decided to stick to tea every morning and have coffee occasionally during the weekends. I didn't realize how much sugar and fat can go into ordering a fancy coffee drink from Starbucks or even just making it at home and adding all these flavored creamers. I would drink more water with lemon throughout the day and I honestly felt better. I no longer felt sluggish in the afternoon.
As time went on, I later became obsessed with making my own healthy lunches and started looking at salad and dressing recipes on Pinterest and also signed up for a gym membership. Instead of thinking that it is a drag to make lunch or to go to the gym, I would think of it as a fun hobby. I would prep my veggies over the weekend and have them prepared for the weekday, so that every night before work, I prepare a colorful Tupperware full of veggies with my favorite dressing. It was also inspiring to be around new coworkers that were also trying to promote a healthy lifestyle. I remember bringing in a whole artichoke and a coworker brought in a trio tray of different hummus flavored dips. We created a crowd at the break room. Lunch became a party and it made eating healthy fun. I also found myself looking forward to going to the gym after work as it was a stress reliever and fun to sport my new yoga or gym clothes that I bought as a motivational tool to get me working out.
Starting a new routine does not happen overnight. Things take time. It might take 2 weeks or even 6 months to hone your work-life balance. They say it takes 21 days for something to become a habit. You just need to find little things here and there that you love doing in order for you to make it a habit. As time goes on, you build on those habits as I did. But whatever it is, start somewhere. Inspire yourself to do more after each task. Mine all started with a cup of tea. I am not saying you need to give up your morning Starbucks. But think about something you can do for you each day that will make your day worthwhile.
It's 9 am. Have you had breakfast?
To keep in touch with Lucy or to read more blog posts and articles, visit and connect with her on LinkedIn.