Refreshed and ready to go?

As school holidays come to a close I hope everyone who juggled work with the school break, childcare and holiday clubs survived.

I don’t know about you, but the school/summer holidays seemed to fly by and already we are in September and hurtling towards the last quarter of the year. So, are you feeling suitably refreshed and ready for the road ahead? I hope so!

Having spoken to my network, summer is typically a period when emails lighten, bookings are pending the return back to work and schedules tend to slow down a little. However, it seems that this summer has bucked the trend with many of my network feeling no signs of the summer slowdown.

I did get the opportunity for a family holiday and it was nice to relax and focus 100% on my family and myself and shut off from juggling work and family responsibilities. You may have seen a post I shared on LinkedIn about the rise of the family workation – a proposed solution that allows you to work and be with your family, building in time to relax. For those who have completely flexible, work from anywhere contracts, the concept of remote working – with your family to combine travel and childcare with a flexible model might like the idea of the workation. It’s not for everyone, and for our industry in events, it wouldn’t work but the post is definitely worth a read.

As we embark on the final few months of 2022 (!), can I suggest we all take a breath, gather our thoughts for the months ahead and keep positive on what can be achieved.

Keeping the work-life balance

Here are some tips to keep the balance of work and life manageable. Some are my suggestions, others are tried and tested ideas from my network.

• Work smart and have a realistic to-do list. Be honest and don’t be afraid to take a few things off.
• Schedule your events & priorities for the coming quarter. As an aside to this if you need ideas for venues or help with planning just shout up – LZ can help.
• Draw a line between work and family time and stick to it. e.g. after X time no checking on work emails etc.
• Schedule enjoyable activities – a morning workout, a walk at lunchtime or listen to a podcast in the evening on the way home.
• Plan key events and identify where you need support. What can you delegate and what can you spend less time on?
• Know your energetic times of the day and when you are most alert or the times you need a boost. Try as much as possible to set your schedule to fit with your natural rhythm.
• Organise a team event at work. A company briefing for what is expected for the months ahead is a perfect way to re-group. Maybe host an end of the summer social event or team away day. It is an opportunity to spend time with your colleagues in a social setting that can re-energise everyone.

Maintaining a positive outlook with a clear focus is not only good for your well-being but keeps your team united and motivated. The end of year targets and to-do list can sometimes create increased stress levels, combine this with being socially busier – school plays, Christmas parties and festive season activities and it becomes an opportunity to overwhelm. It’s all the more important to stay connected and take that breath!