work life balance
The working woman’s guide to sanity
words: Lynette Allen
Superwoman Status
Ever get that ‘I should be able to do this’ feeling? You know the one? It comes from the belief that you’re incomprehensibly indestructible and should have the ability to carry out at least ten tasks at any one time, whilst placating family members, soothing frayed tempers, hanging out the washing and making time for the company accounts! Every woman of the planet experiences it but trust me when I say it’s not going to happen for very long before you break down in tears, look at how well everyone else is coping and come to the conclusion that you’re simply not ‘cutting it’ anymore.
No place for any busy working woman to be! Instead, take just one job at a time and see it through, put all other jobs physically and mentally where you can’t see them, concentrate on one thing alone and you’ll achieve it in half the time, before moving proudly onto the next one.
Weary of worrying?
If you totted up how many hours you spent worrying about events that never happened, how many do you think you’d get? More than a decent night’s sleep I’m willing to bet! Instead, allow yourself to ‘deal with’ situations rather than ‘worry about’ them. Worrying is a state of mind where negative thoughts float around and around in circles, never coming up with solutions. By ‘dealing with’ even difficult issues, means you’re able to proactively seek solutions, sort through information and deal with that information in smaller chunks. There’s nothing worse than creating a massive problem in your mind with no way of breaking it down. Either choose someone supportive to help you or hire a trusted Life Coach, that’s what we’re here for! By the time you’ve broken down the problem, a solution and a clear plan of action are only moments away.
Priming yourself for perfection
Get edgy and unnerved if you think you’re not performing to top standards? Well not all of us will perform perfectly all of the time, some of the time with a bit of luck yes, but the thing we forget about perfection, is that those who strive for it every day, rarely achieve it. Why? Well, if you’re goal orientated, once you’ve perfected one list and crossed everything off, you’re already half way through writing the next one! This demands huge energy and focus from your body and intellectual ability. Perfection therefore is never achieved. Instead, strive to achieve no more than 5 things per day. Start the day with an achievement list where you write down the top most important things that would make you grin when you’ve crossed them off (yes the laundry counts!). Any more and you’re laughing – literally!
Never ending negativity
You know what I mean? You’ll especially recognise this if you’re a ‘glass half empty’ person or a ‘yes but’ person. It means you walk round the planet expecting everything to go wrong and nothing to work out. Be nice to yourself for a change! Most of my clients come to see me with a whole host of negative sayings that roll around their minds throughout the day. Will these sayings make you more productive? Will they motivate you to achieve? No, all they’ll do is undermine your confidence, break your spirit and make you lethargic and depressed. Imagine if that negative loop was a voice over in a film, would you enjoy it? Would you really feel that dizzy ‘high’ when the girl finally gets boy? Nope, you’re the one who’s walking out of the cinema persuading your friends that he’ll have left her by this time next week! The same applies to your mind, don’t stand for it and emotionally decide to change the story in your mind. You’ll need proof of course, so suspend your negative beliefs for one week and see what happens!
Realise when to rest
Yep I know exactly what you’re thinking…the author of this must be a commitment free, single girl with nothing to do but check her nails all day…oh I wish! With two dogs, a husband, two very busy businesses, a teaching career and a media presence, life with this author is far from quiet! Whatever your commitments and responsibilities, it is absolutely imperative to understand the need for rest and to recognise when your body tells you it’s time for a break. The ‘break’ can be 2 weeks in the Bahamas (mmm!) or simply a 10 minute walk around the block at lunchtime. Whatever way, it’s vitally important to rest your mind and your body intermittently. You’ll be much nicer to be around and much more effective.
Lynette Allen
A successful career woman in her own right, Lynette has established a reputation for helping others get the most from their businesses. Lynette’s clear thinking enables her to guide even the most experienced through the myriad of issues faced in the business environment.
Her ability to view organisations, individuals, departments etc from a third party perspective enables her to give you a unique insight, highlighting possible issues before they become problems. Lynette comes into her own when she utilises this information to plan a way forward that isn’t just achievable for your business but is exciting too.
Lynette has worked for some of the UK’s best known TV and radio personalities as well as female business owners and sole traders and has won numerous awards for her achievements in the business world. Added to this, with Lynette’s own media exposure, she has established an enviable network of contacts throughout the media, private and public sectors which she draws upon when advising clients in her role as a business mentor.
Only someone with Lynette’s drive and organisational ability could handle the content of her business life. With a successful international private coaching practice for female business owners and sole traders, Lynette also teaches a Life Coaching Diploma course and is chief exec of BusinessUncovered.com, as well as being author of three internationally-published books, including the bestseller Behind with the Laundry and Living Off Chocolate, she is in huge demand as a regular radio guest all over the country and as a contributor to some of the top selling women’s magazines.
