After working all day today, I realized that I have two articles to write tonight. But after dinner, I went to bed and slept for 2 hours first, and then I woke up and started to write this blog post. Why didn’t I soldier on? Well, here is my philosophy: body first, business second.
- Dare to rest.
Currently, we live in the hustle culture, i.e., everyone is supposed to keep going, focus on work, prioritize making more money, etc. But when something is overdone, it will backfire. For example, I worked too hard when I was younger, and I ended up in hospital due to an illness caused by exhaustion. Therefore, it is clear that weekends and holidays exist for a reason. 😊
Nowadays I’ve changed the way I approach work/life balance. These days instead of sitting in front of a computer all day every day, I do active work five days a week and write articles at night and on weekends. I know this still sounds like a lot of work, but I don’t like going to the gym, so the active work suits my lifestyle. What’s more, because I make effective plans, I’m able to finish writing tasks in my spare time while still enjoying life.
More importantly, I have an overseas vacation once or twice a year because I deserve it – I’ve worked hard for decades.
Interestingly, I have discovered something powerful: The more fun I have, the more money I make. That’s because every time I travel overseas, I meet new people, experience different cultures and learn enlightening things. As a result, I am able to write refreshing and inspiring articles for various websites that have high traffic.
- Let’s recognize the value of rest.
Rest is actually very, very important because it allows us to rejuvenate ourselves so that we are ready for what’s next.
Last weekend I took my parents to a new café for hot chocolate because they were complaining that they didn’t have anywhere to go for fun. I went out of my way to have hot chocolate with them in spite of my busy schedule. But after I came back from the café, I sat down at my desk and started to work on the next project, then suddenly, I realized that I was able to focus on my work even better because my heart was full of joy brought by the quality time that I spent with my parents.
Clearly, I definitely need to prioritize rest because working all the time doesn’t make me more productive – it only makes me more tired.
Now I’m planning my next overseas vacation, so I’m preparing the outfits that I will wear and doing research on souvenirs that I will buy. Sometimes I have to get in the fun-loving headspace in order to find the right work/life balance. 😉
“Let’s acknowledge the importance of overseas vacations and make every day special!”
