Losing my balance…again
My name is Barb, and I’m an addict.
A Twitter addict. An email addict. An everything-to-do-with-the-internet addict. Well, almost everything 
The past month has been pretty busy for me, with a mix of SWBN tasks, keeping up with the marketing of my father’s online business and family and personal stuff.
I found myself going into overwhelm way too often, and when I started daydreaming of going on vacation to Maui, I knew that something was out of whack – I was getting a wakeup call.
The reality is that I have neither the time nor the funds to be frolicking on the beach right now, so that means I have to find some creative ways to stay sane while still working towards my goals.
Finding some sense of work-life balance is something I’ve struggled with for what seems like my whole 40-something existence. Left to my own devices, I will always put work too much and play too little. I don’t know why I do it, but it’s not good, and it’s not sustainable.
You’d think I would have learned my lesson after going through a major burnout in the late 1990′s, and subsequently dealing with some major health issues.
But nooooo. I’m still in the habit of putting work first and not fitting enough social and renewal time in my life. And that results in an overwhelmed and tired Barb who’s not much good to anyone, let alone herself.
So I decided to call an intervention. On myself.
What I realized was that I had to start saying “no” to myself. Weird concept, but it works.
The first thing I did was start turning off the computer on the weekends. Or more accurately, not turning it on on Saturday or Sunday mornings. If there’s something related to SWBN that’s time sensitive, then I’ll permit myself to check email/FriendFeed on Saturday and Sunday evenings, but that’s it.
Given how much I love my MacBook Pro, and the internet in general, this was no easy task, but I knew it had to be done.
The second thing I did was make a list of non-computer related projects I wanted to work on during my weekends. I also starting going for more walks, driving through the gorgeous countryside, and visiting bookstores, one of my former favourite pastimes.
Can I just say, wow? What a difference that simple act of turning off the computer has made! Although I sometimes obsess about what I might be missing on Twitter (sheesh), this has been the best idea ever.
I feel so much more relaxed during the weekend, and I’m more mentally refreshed and ready to get back to work on Mondays.
The simple act of turning off the computer has forced me to focus on other things, and get a little creative about my offline life, which has led to less overwhelm and less stress, and a happier Barb.
Lisa, Allison and I have discussed the concept of maintaining balance as we build the SWBN. We all have different energy levels and different lives, but we all agree that we’re not going to work ourselves into the ground at the expense of our health or our sanity.
There are going to be days when one or all of us have to focus on issues in our personal lives that will take precedence over our work, but we would rather build up this community at a slower pace and do it in a sustainable way; we know that will be the best for us and for our members over the long term.
So even though I’ve figured out this one idea that works for me, I’m sure I’ll fall off the wagon again. Since I need all the help I can get, I’d love to hear from you: what do you do to maintain a sense of balance in your life?
Great post Barb! I too tend to work more than play and burnout results. I do like you, and have to turn the computer completely OFF, and then leave the house. LOL If I get out of the house more, I find that helps me more than anything else.
Being a work-at-home mom, I can go days and not ever leave these four walls. I dig in and get focused on work, but honestly – have found that my work productivity goes down when I don’t take time off the computer and doing other things.
I’m feeling a self-imposed intervention coming on.
Traci had something to say about A Black Conservative Against Obama
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Thanks, Traci!
I guess I’m not alone in needing to use the OFF button on my computer – LOL
Let me know if you need any help with that intervention…I’m getting good at it
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Got Me!
I’m totally a work-a-holic, twitter obsessed, computer overload kind of girl.
I sit in my computer chair that now leans to the left for what seems like days at a time staring at the screen sometimes in a half stupor with my brain leaking out gray matter from information overload.
I rarely see the sun (my neighbors think my son and me are vampires) and I have no social life.
Maybe it’s time to make some changes and work smarter, not harder.
I could start with turning off the computer by midnight instead of 2AM or maybe even taking Sunday’s off…
KarenKramer had something to say about Sugar Shock! – School Ban on Sweets
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Karen I am much like you in regards to not being able to stuff enough information in my head in the hours I have awake.
I HAVE to have at least 8 hours sleep a night or my MS gets me. I cannot afford to miss even one hour sleep. So in a way I have an inbuilt anti-workaholism thing happening there (still I do fight it and ignore it when I am in “the zone”).
So I do what I can, while I can, and keep in mind that there IS a tomorrow and I better get some sleep if I want to enjoy it.
(and yes get out into the sun for 30 minutes, lack of Vitamin D can be a trigger for all sorts of nasty things
)
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I admire you Barb for the strength and will power to actually turn your computer off and leave it off on the weekends. I don’t actually think I could do that.
I have a disintegrating lumbar spine and must stay in the sitting position most of the time for the chronic pain that I experience and unless I take up knitting or something else like that there isn’t anything as productive as being behind the computer screen. I certainly don’t want to be watching TV instead!
I don’t think it is all that evil of a thing for me to be doing in my case – I think it beats the alternatives – unless I sat there and read an actual hard copy book. I only seem to use as the hard copies as reference material at this point in my life when I do crack a book, anyway.
I do make a point to spend some time each day up and outside in the open air (if it isn’t raining) which does wonders for my dead head after sitting here for hours on end. There is nothing like getting up and stretching the body parts to keep the circulation flowing.
I also have simple exercises that I do each day in my room that help my attitude immensely.
The little bit of physical activity all helps me keep my balance. I am not necessarily cutting back on computer time since I must sit most of the time but incorporating some physical activity into my routines have sure helped me keep a better handle on things.
Julie
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Hi Barb,
I recently went on an 8 day trip and for about 5 days I had no computer access — nada, zip, none!! At first I thought I’d disintegrate, but it was actually extremely refreshing and renewing.
Since I’ve been home, I’ve been more careful to spend more time each day off line and I plan to continue in that mode! Work (or however you spend time on your computer) will always be there for us, but family and friends may not!!
Congratulations to all three of you on your new site & blog!
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