I'm going to second Luis recommendation of the Miracle morning (there's even a part on how you can do it in 6 minutes a day!).
The importance of working somewhere that has similar work-life balance values to yours is critically important in this discussion. If you're working for a workaholic, or in a company culture where "those that get ahead" are always working 10 hour+ days, it's going to be hard for you to get far in your career if you want to have a life, not to mention that you're eventually likely to burn out. If you're working for someone who also values having a full life outside of work, you'll have a much easier time "balancing" your own.
But, I also think twice before putting work above self-care (exercise, nutrition, etc.). I admittedly find this challenging. One of my mentors gave me this analogy, which might resonate with you: If you think about your life as trying to juggle a bunch of balls, work is a rubber ball. There will always be more work, and if you drop it at any point (or just choose not to toss it as high), you can pick it up and continue to juggle it later. Your health and family, on the other hand, are more like glass balls. If you drop the ball, it shatters, and you can't get it back. You only have one body, and with family and friends, if you don't nurture your relationships they may not be repairable down the road.
I have three kids and a very involved spouse. The youngest is 4, and I concur with another poster who said it gets easier around age 4, the complete disconnect of the US school system hours with professional work hours not withstanding. One of the key things I've learned is to be ruthless in prioritizing and eliminating anything that is unnecessary, and to delegate everything possible at work and at home. I look at things from the "opportunity cost" perspective of our time - is this the best use of my time right now? And if not, why and I doing what I'm doing and what should I be doing instead? Sometimes that best use is staying up late to work, other times it's playing with the kids. Only you can know what's best for you in that moment.
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Stephanie Slocum P.E.,M.ASCE
Founder
Engineers Rising LLC
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-24-2019 09:24
From: Luis Duque
Subject: Balancing Work, Health, and Family
This past week has been a transformative one! For over a year I completely stopped working out because I was "too busy for it". As a person that played sports since the age of 8 all the way through college for 2 to 4 hours a day, this was a drastic life change. We as engineers use our minds daily but often neglect other aspects of our life.
For me, it has been a challenge but I have been reading a great book about it called The Miracle Morning which has helped me break that barrier. The concept is simple and it fits right into my busy schedule. All I do is create 1 hour a day where I can develop a balance in my life. Every day I wake up at 5 am and start my routine before work. If you are struggling with balancing your personal well-being I recommend you read that book, it has changed the way I feel and perform daily!
How do you balance your work with other aspects of your life like family, health, and spiritual well-being?
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Luis Duque EIT,A.M.ASCE
Structural Engineer
Broomfield CO
<maskemail>luis@...</maskemail>
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