Post 7 – Working Mum Mini-Series
I’ve spoken recently about personally finding a work-life balance moving forward. But for this article, I’m interested in exploring why people go to work every day.
What motivates you to apply for a job? Have an early night to meet your 6 am alarm? Travel for an hour to get to work each day? Start a business and work for yourself.
I was surprised to learn it’s not always money motivating an individual to go to work each day. Let’s explore some of the motivations.
Money
Some people are motivated by money and this is completely okay. It depends on your personality. There is no avoiding the fact we all need money to live, especially now, in a cost-of-living crisis. However, money doesn’t have to be the main motivation for the role you currently do.
I’ve taken a pay cut twice before. Once in the past to cut down on traveling time and recently to avoid stress and burnout.
Motivation
Chill-out days are an essential part of a self-care routine, but ever felt more tired from doing nothing? Being busy inspires a sense of motivation to keep going and get more done.
It’s about finding a healthy balance between the two.
Sense of achievement
We all love doing a great job. That sense of satisfaction when you cross things off your to-do list or clean the house from top to bottom. Maybe you declutter and sell things on a second-hand marketplace? Work from home and get through a lot in one sitting, with no distractions.
Whatever ‘sense of achievement’ means to you. Doing this regularly is great for well-being.
Sense of belonging
During the pandemic, we all missed contact with our work employees. It allowed us to appreciate the interaction we have with other people daily. Socialising can be an important part of someone’s work life. y enjoy having one day a week in the office.
Helping other people
In setting up my blogs, the main motivation was to help people. The reality is, it’s taken me a long time to make any money at all. There was always more than just this motivation pushing me along. If one or all three of my blogs never made money, I would still be satisfied that I had helped other people out there.
I’ve also volunteered my time in the past and organized charity events. None of which provided a financial reward. But to me, the reward of helping other people was much more satisfying.
The all-important work-life balance
I would say, a work-life balance has to be individual to the person in question. When I was single and living alone, I enjoyed my fast-paced, high-stress career. I also had free time to socialize with my work colleagues and immerse myself in the full “career” experience. Inevitably when you have a child, your priorities change. My perfect work-life balance is now about pursuing a fairly challenging role but also having time to spend at home with my little girl.
Mental health
Ultimately, from a mental health perspective, we should all be aiming for the below:
- Meeting your deadlines at work while still having time for friends and hobbies
- Having enough time to sleep properly and eat well
- Not worrying about work when you’re at home
I will be honest and say that during the height of my financial career, I didn’t have many periods when these were consistently done. I learned the hard way how important it is to look after yourself.
Tips on managing work stress
Pause. Ask yourself: what’s currently causing me stress or unhappiness? How is that affecting my work and personal life? What am I prioritising? What am I losing out on? We often don’t take the time to reflect on work until there’s a major life event such as the birth of a child or the loss of someone close to us. But just pausing and thinking about your priorities can help you discover whether the way you’re living and working is right for you.
Pay attention to your feelings. Now you’re more aware of your current situation, how does it make you feel? Are you fulfilled and happy, or angry and resentful? Being aware of your feelings can help you decide which changes you want to make.
Reprioritise. Think about what needs to change. For example, you might want to ask yourself if working long hours is worth losing out on family time, or whether working weekends is worth losing out on your social life.
Consider your alternatives. Is there anything at work you can change to meet your new priorities?
Make changes. Maybe that’s asking for flexible hours, making sure you use all your annual leave or not checking your emails at the weekend, for example.
mentalhealth.org.uk
Value yourself and your time
I am personally thankful to be in a much better place mentally. Which may result in me taking on more responsibilities. But only because I work for a supportive company and there are boundaries.
Due to a lack of self-confidence and anxiety issues, it never occurred to me before to say no. I was a bit of a people pleaser and spent far too much time at work. Yes, I was rewarded financially. But this never made me happy. I had to spend that money to destress and surely that defeats the purpose. It certainly isn’t what I would call a work-life balance.
Until next time
I would like the takeaway from this post to be the following:
Realize that your time and energy are precious
Make sure the role you are applying for is suitable for your needs
Do you want to be associated with or work for a company with specific values
What would be a deal breaker and result in you saying no to a job offer?
Could you see yourself happy in this role?
Do you have any tips on achieving a work-life balance?
Have you taken a pay cut before to favor your happiness?
Let me know in the comments below.
I really needed this post today – I’m finding that I’m getting absorbed by work and then the pendulum swings too far the other way. Thank you for helping me pause and reevaluate
Author
I am sorry to hear you’re feeling this way. But glad the post helped x
This is a really helpful and useful blog post to help create balance in your life. Learning the value of your time and effort is so important. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren.
Author
It took me many years to learn, but it is so important and life is a lot happier now.
This was such a good read – our time and energy ARE so precious and it’s good to be reminded of that so thank you 🙂
Author
Thank you for the lovely comment. I am happy to provide the reminder. I sometimes need to remind myself.
I love these tips for creating a work/life balance, it’s so important to value your time! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Author
I totally agree.
Self worth and mental health is so important! I think most people need to spend more time working on it.
Author
It is easy to forget we need to spend time on it, but so essential to our wellbeing.
This is such an important reminder for all of us; finding balance that helps us enjoy life and rest is pretty much key to our mental (emotional and physical) health. We all deserve to thrive — lovely post!
Molly | Transatlantic Notes recently posted…Understanding How Climate Action Redefines Our Future
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I totally agree. It’s taken our family some hard work and we are now living on less money, but we are so much happier.
Yessssss!!!!!!! So true! Work life balance is so important. I hope employers in Malaysia will understand the importance of work life balance and stop pushing employees to work too hard.
Fadima Mooneira recently posted…POSTCARDS FROM PHUKET
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Work-life balance is so important. UK employers also have a lot of work to do in this area.
I really needed to hear this today! I’ve recently started uni and, although it’s technically not a job, I’m struggling so much with the work-life balance. Thank you so much for sharing x
Author
I remember the Uni days and basically wearing myself out, every day for three years. I feel your pain. You will get through it!
Great post! I think some people can lose sight of how important keeping a work/balance is, so thanks for the reminder.
Isabelle Vita New York recently posted…Gift Guide Under $100 2022
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I am glad you found the reminder useful. I was guilty of losing sight of how important it was.
Thanks so much for the calming words! Balance is key.
Sue Berk Koch recently posted…The Science Behind Positive Affirmations
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Balance is definitely essential!
I think it’s important to remember the w/l balance will and does change and there will be certain times of your life where one will take priority over the other and that’s so normal. But we all need to try and maintain some level of equilibrium for sure!