Productivity, Balance, and Self-care

You know those things you want to do, but just never have time for? Whether it’s learning a new skill, reading a long book, making some home improvements, or starting a blog, I think everyone has personal projects they’d really like to make progress on, but never get around to. For me, that was learning Webflow and starting this blog - Work from Denver was growing, and I knew I wanted to branch out into other mediums… but it just wasn’t happening.

Then, in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, I completed a 20 hour Webflow course, built workfromdenver.com and databases to track my coffee shop reviews and collaborations, and started writing blog posts. So what was different about the last week of 2022 compared to every other week? Easy - I had the week off from my full-time job.

Since the full-time job isn’t going anywhere, one of my biggest goals for 2023 is to learn how to balance it with my personal projects more effectively without sacrificing self care. In 2022, I chose self care over personal projects as if they were mutually exclusive. I’d finish work by 4 PM most days, but would use my evenings to explore or relax rather than make progress on personal projects and goals.

In 2023, I’m exploring the hypothesis that I don’t need to choose between prioritizing self care and making progress on personal projects - I just need to find strategies to balance them.

A goal is nothing without action, so here are some ways that I’m planning on working toward balance:

• Get ready. Even when I’m staying in for the day, I want to make an effort to get ready - when I feel put together, I feel more confident and productive.
• Utilize my lunch hour. Whether it’s a hot girl walk, a mini-spa treatment, or a decadent at-home lunch, I want to use my lunch hour as a time for self-care so that I’m more likely to switch to personal projects after work.
• Organize my workspace. I do my work and personal projects on separate devices, but have to cram them onto the same desk. Finding a way to de-clutter my workspace should help keep me focused on whatever work is in front of me.
• Find new places to work from. Coffee shops are kind of my thing, but I also want to explore restaurants, breweries, coworking spaces, and more to switch things up and keep remote work exciting!

These are just a few ideas - I’ve got a few others floating around my head and look forward to coming up with even more throughout the year! As I experiment, I’ll keep you guys updated on what works and what doesn’t. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I’ll have proven that it’s completely possible to balance my full time job, personal projects, and self care!