Taking a Moment

A Balancing Act that Matters

8/12/2018

A few weeks ago, I set out to in search for apps to help me find work-life balance. Knowing that I was not too keen on using apps to manage my life. I had foreseen challenges which had proven to be true for me. I enjoyed the mindfulness apps, but time management in the form of an app seemed unrealistic for me, as a new mom. What am I supposed to do...change a diaper or go about timing myself? Priorities do change! :)

As I progressed through the weeks my understanding of balance evolved, and I began to embrace my change in life. Your life really does change after having a child in ways you really don’t understand before they arrive. It’s rewarding in so many ways but challenging in other ways that you learn to exercise kindness towards yourself and appreciate your new found identity. Negal Marsh, who did a TEDx Talk in Sydney, once said that you can find work-life balance through ‘meaningful engagement’ at work. (Marsh, 2011)

This really made me think about Maslow’s hierarchy of need, where there are levels we go through in order to self-actualize. Our basic needs need to be fulfilled and once these are addressed, we can truly demonstrate our potential. My work at the moment is being a mom. It’s meaningful in so many ways that no app would help me understand its weight.

In reality it’s up to me to maintain a balance that would work for me. I’ve learned to embrace the challenge through mindfulness. If I was to recommend an app it would be Headspace. Not only was it easy to use but realivant. I started off with 6 apps, but I end this blog with a valuable lesson of what it means to take a moment...both in appreciation of my growth as an individual, but also of those around me. My balance is truly an act that will take time, but I want to cherish these moments since everyday is a new day for all of us.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need

Sources:

McLeod, S. (2018). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved August 12, 2018, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Marsh, N. (2011, February 07). How to make work-life balance work. Retrieved August 9, 2018, from https://youtu.be/jdpIKXLLYYM

Time Management Skills. (2014). Retrieved August 6, 2018, from https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/time-management.html

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Can we manage time?

8/11/2018

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As I continue with my mindfulness practice through Headspace, the more I continue to think about my use of time. Can we really mange time when time continues to go ahead?

I recently watched a TEDx talk by Rory Vaden who also mentioned the same thought - surprisingly. I was amazed to learn that the concept of time management came about during the Industrial Revolution when the concept of ‘effeicency’ became a point of discussion. From here Dr. Stephen Covey move onto 2-dimentional thinking in time management theory, by looking at efficiency through ‘importance’ and ‘urgency’ in order to prioritize your time. However it’s still not enough. Vaden discussed the 3-dimensional approach to looking at time management. Not only would you look at ‘urgency’, ‘importance’, but also ‘significance’. When thinking about significance your perception of time changes and becomes an emotional decision. As result time management isn’t just logical but also emotional. (Vegan, 2015)

As a continue my pursuit to understanding what work and life balance is, cannot help but think about the value of time. My mom once said to me, after the birth of my son, every day is a new day. Cherish every moment. Isn’t everyday a new day for all of us? So...how can we manage time when time is there for us to savior and experience? Every day we grow...everyday is significant.

Source:
Vaden, R. (2015, June 01). How to Multiply Your Time. Retrieved August 9, 2018, from https://youtu.be/y2X7c9TUQJ8 TEDx

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Mindful Balance?

8/9/2018

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As I continue to practice in being more mindful, I also continue in thinking about what balance really means in life. Is it to b able to get has many things done in a day or is it to find contentment in your day?

I read in a recent Huffington Post blog, “It starts with choosing to see how we show up in life, and making conscious choices about what our presence looks and feels like in each moment.” (Ellard, 2016) Being a new mom and handling the changes you go through with your new life is challenging. However, really how am I ‘show up in life’. Do I want to remember these precious moments as rushed and stressed about time or do I want to cherish them? I feel now that perhaps I need t change my perception of time and find those quiet moments through a different interpretation of what quiet means.

“Quiet” moments look a bit differently: running, cooking, playing music, taking a bath, slowly sipping your morning tea. (Ellard, 2016) This is what I am finding. While using the apps Headspace and Mandela - these are moments in the day that allow me to focus and reassess my choices. I was going to say priories but I have a choice to address these priories as well. Perhaps what I need to do is to find those quiet moments in my everyday activity.

Source:
Ellard, Jae. “Mindfulness and Work-Life Balance: What’s the Difference?” Huffington Post, Oct. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/jae-ellard/mindfulness-and-work-life-balance-whats-the-difference_b_8266966.html.

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Making Space

8/9/2018

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In a recent article in The Globe and Mail, ‘There Is No Work-Life Balance’, Howatt outlined an individuals capacity to focus and be flexible. (Howatt, 2018) Further more its about having:

Awareness
Accountability
Action through setting your limits, notify people impacted by decisions, and ask for feedback.

What really stood out for me in this article was the following passage:

‘Work-life blending is about learning to make decisions that mitigate risk for upsetting one person and meeting the needs for the person you’re currently focused on. How we blend decisions with respect to time ultimately defines our sense of control and ability to blend the demands of home and work.’ (Howatt, 2018)

I wouldn’t say that I would be ‘upsetting one person and the needs for the person you’re currently focused on’, but its about prioritizing to meet our needs. Awareness is needed to address this. If we are aware, then it’s not a matter of upsetting but prioritizing to find equilibrium.

This week I will focus on the concept of awareness and being present, more than just managing my time. This was a realize I had this past week. When I was aware I actually completed tasks in a focused manner. I wonder...is it that our concept of time is directly linked to how aware we are from one moment to the next?

This week I will use Headspace and Mandela.

Source:
Howatt, Bill. “There Is No Work-Life Balance – but How You Blend Your Time Matters.” The Globe and Mail, The Globe and Mail, 25 Apr. 2018, www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/workplace-award/article-there-is-no-work-life-balance-but-how-you-blend-your-time-matters/.

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The Individual

8/8/2018

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Time management and keeping a balance in life. I’m finding can be a complicated thing if you see it that way. I took on the pursuit of to try out three time management apps along with three mindfulness apps. I am finding that sometimes there isn’t a need for technology to sort my life. I feel it’s more of an aid for those who may or may not find it to be helpful. However, it’s not something that is

This week I tried out the Querkles, Mandela, and Calm apps. All three have the place for particular individuals. Querkles, was just way to advanced for me. It was actually more stressful for me than to even attempt to color mindfully. Mandela was doable and enjoyable to complete. Calm was excellent. The variety of sound tracks were great. The down side was, after a 7 day free trial there’s a yearly subscription of $50.

None of the time management apps worked for me unfortunately. I’m finding that I’m more a ‘things to do list’ type of person. After this I realized that perhaps I need to be more conscious of my time - more mindful in a purposeful way by prioritizing what is important. “What defines our happiness with respect to managing the demands of work and life is how we can blend them. Most of us don’t live in two separate worlds where at work we focus only on work and at home we focus only on home.” (Howatt, 2018) Midweek I started to do this and it worked for me. That’s just it...I need to individualize one moment at a time.

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“Different Decisions Different Outcomes”

7/31/2018

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There are moments when we look at the day ahead of us, we think we have enough time. However time can be seen in different ways. It could be seen as the passing of time in seconds, minutes or hours. It could be told in the 12 hour or in the 24 hour mode. It could be told in a manner expressed through the phases of the day, such as the morning, afternoon, or night.

After taking on the role of motherhood, time has changed some how, and I now see it in phases in the day or night. There are times when I feel there isn't enough of it to get the things done. It's not because of procrastination but priorities have changed and the level of spontenety has increased. I don't regret the time I spend with my little one or as a family. As Kathrzyn Schulz puts it, you make different decisions which result in different outcomes. So it's not so much about having regrets but a different perspective. How I use my time is based on the choices I make in the day the question is am I prioritizing as I should be?

With this in mind I will try to investigate 6 apps for mindfulness and time management. With these apps I will see how effective they are and if at all they are helpful over the course of two weeks. The bigger question is:

With the aid of these selected apps, can I maintain a healthy work and life balance?

I hear so much about the use of apps to get organized, however I don’t know if this will work for me. I’ve always been the low tech kind when it comes to getting myself sorted. The thought has come across...what if it works for me? In search of a better understanding of having a balance with my work as a mom and life. I will reward myself in the evenings with a simple moment of silence and a warm cup of tea, which all seems like a luxury and a concept from another life time. Now onto trying some apps and see how I fair with them.

Source:
Schultz, K. (2011, December 02). Don’ Regret Regret. Retrieved July 30, 2018, from https://youtu.be/ka8L1YMR88U

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