7 Tips For Maximizing Work + Life Fulfillment

Aren’t we all trying to be a little healthier? A little more balanced? A little more present and positive? It’s probably safe to say, most of us are in the same boat here. But, how do we achieve all of that when we have so many things we want to accomplish? How do we prioritize as multi-passionate people, who want to be better for our friends, family, community and ourselves when everything feels like an urgent priority?!?

I am passionate about achievers and leaders being healthy across all dimensions of wellness, health and career.

Here are 7 of my Go-To Work-Life Fulfillment Strategies:

1. Start the day in quiet, stillness: Yeah, I know this sounds impossible. 11 years ago, I would have laughed at this idea. Who has time for that?! This was once a far-fetched idea to strive for, but now it is my daily habit and one I do not sacrifice, even on the busiest of weeks when I am traveling and working in multiple locations.?

When I started this, I started with 10 minutes, then worked up to 20 minutes, now I aim for 45 min to an hour. Somedays, I just sit and drink my coffee slowly. Sometimes, I write, read or do gentle yoga. This time can also be used for gratitude practice, prayer, meditation. This is a NO-PHONE ZONE! My phone is several feet away to keep me from looking at it. I often use the timer on my phone when I have a hard-stop (this means I get up to turn it off, then transition into the rest of my morning).?

2. Block Non-Negotiable Calendar Time: This time is to allow you to own your calendar, be strategic about your goals, work and life tasks, AND to start your day with a calm nervous system. This is the part of the day you are moving your biggest life, career and leadership goals forward.?

To start my “work-day”, I block the first 2 hours of my day for creative, focused time. When I’m in the office (not traveling for work), I don’t take calls until 9 or 10 am. The first few hours of the day are all mine! This is NOT email catch up time or administrative work. This is my strategy time. This is my creative time. This is the time I use to move myself and my business forward. This is non-negotiable time and it is a game changer for work/life harmony and balance. You don’t need to block 2 hours to start. Start with 30 minutes of uninterrupted time at the beginning of your work-day. For longer stretches, remember to build in 5 minute stretch breaks every 30 minutes or so to increase focus and improve physical health.

3. Block Time for Health & Wellness Priorities & Appointments: Put your health commitments and appointments on your calendar. If it’s on the calendar, you are more likely to do them because you have blocked the time. Pro-tip if you are money motivated,? pay for things ahead of time; you are less likely to blow them off if you already paid for them. Pay for 4 sessions with a trainer ahead of time; Pre-pay for a monthly massage; Pre-pay for meal prep; Pre-pay for a nutritionist; Pay for a house-cleaner ahead of time,? etc.?

4. Help Soothe the Sunday Scaries in 15 minutes with Sunday Weekly Strategy: On Sundays, I take 15 minutes to look at the week ahead so I know what is coming up, what to expect, and to be aware of my time-gaps. With the above strategies already in place, I know I have me-time, quiet time, creative time, and wellness time on the books. This helps me manage stress, overwhelm, competing priorities, and be present in my relationships–both personal and professional.??

When I know I have time to focus on my health, rest and recover in my weekly schedule, I feel less overwhelmed and stressed. My schedule after 10 am is usually packed with back to back meetings and client calls. But, I am excited to do them when I’ve already filled my tank with Tips #1-4.

5. Daily, First-Things First List - This is my daily list of pre-scheduled meetings, project priorities, and key deliverables. This is what I work through FIRST. I am not always successful, and I do get distracted, but it is a good guide for my day. Part of how I stay on track is by managing inputs from others, and blocking time to respond (see Tip #6).?

6. Daily Communication Management (Texts/Emails/Unscheduled Calls):?

• Notifications Off: I no longer have email or text notifications on (GASP). I also have notifications from my project management software, Teams, and Slack turned off. Seeing ongoing, incoming messages immediately makes me feel stressed and behind. I am a people-pleaser in recovery, so I have to set times for emails and responses, otherwise I will want to meet everyone’s needs quickly, often at the expense of my own needs. I only check emails and other communications 2-3 times a day. Pro Tip: If you are caring for a child or other family member and being accessible is important, you can often adjust your notifications in your phone settings to allow text and calls from specific contacts. This can help you focus knowing the people you are caring for can get a hold of you, but other interruptions are filtered out.
• Planned Time to Respond: I do not respond to incoming messages all day long. This is my biggest stressor and distractor! When I let messages constantly interrupt my day, I give over my calendar, my calm, and my creative energy to others. When I do this, I have nothing left for when I need to do my other important work. I have a morning, afternoon, and end of day email check and that’s it. When I am at my best, I respond to emails within 24-48 hours.
• Unscheduled Calls: These happen, personally and professionally, but I try to return these unscheduled calls when I have a planned time-gap, when I’m driving, or when I’m waiting for an appointment. I rarely stop my important priorities to take unscheduled calls.?

• Maximize and Enjoy Daily Calendar Gaps: When I have any gap in my day between meetings, I use it to: Fuel up with something nourishing, get outside for some fresh air and movement (and walk the dog), close my eyes for 10-15 minutes if I need it, connect with a nourishing person in my life, etc. I maximize these gaps / margins of my day to build in enjoyable activities–activities that fulfill any area of my multidimensional health. The hard part here is to hold myself back from using these gaps to cram in more work. Sometimes it is necessary, but I try to minimize this.?

7. Build in meaningful Connection Time: We are social creatures who need to connect and belong. Build in a little time to connect and socialize with your most important people. Schedule a coffee, dinner, or a zoom with a loved one to support connection with the people you care about. When on social media, remember to connect with people and accounts that nourish and inspire you. 15 minutes a day of meaningful connection is worth more than hours of mindless, superficial connections (or social scrolling).

Cheers to you, cheers to a balanced way forward, Dr. Shanna

Dr. Shanna Teel & Co. is a leadership, talent, and organizational development consulting firm.

In Dr. Teel’s career she has been a Partner and Executive in three leadership development consulting firms. She holds a dual Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology and clinical psychology; a post-graduate certificate in neuroscience and nutrition-science; and she has over 25 years of experience as a business consultant, executive coach, and facilitator of adult and organizational transformation. She specializes in the areas of executive and leadership development and coaching; culture change; neuroscience; and health and wellness for leaders. She is a registered yoga teacher and sits on several non-profit boards that promote healthy, conscious living and leadership.