The past few months have been pretty intense.. what with the burglary back in March we started wedding season as if we'd been spun round and let go... but in the past few weeks it feels like everything has started to settle down. We finally feel (after 3 years) like we're getting on top of things and that we're now driving the business rather than the business driving us. Where I've seen this the most is with our work/life balance.
For the past few years I'll be honest my work/life balance sucked. There was no balance. We were both working from home.. sitting in our pyjamas all day surrounded by washing up, most days not stepping out of the front door.. no fresh air, not much real human interaction and then we'd drive to weddings at the weekend, shoot, drive, pack, unpack (sometimes).. Sundays we'd work.. we'd meet couples, shoot, edit. Through the week I'd start work at 11am and work through til midnight.. we'd eat crap constantly.. anything for convenience.. anything for a little reward for working so hard, we smoked, we occasionally socialised, crowbarring it in between the massive to do list and feeling guilty any time I wasn't sat in front of my computer replying to emails or editing.. we were loving the job but I stopped caring about me.. and that had to change.
Since the office move EVERYTHING has changed. We get up and get dressed, we come to work, we see real people, we get out in the fresh air, we work normal hours, we're more productive, we now have our home back, I sit on the sofa of an evening and watch a DVD, I sit in my pyjamas on a Sunday when the rest of the world also sits in their pyjamas, we eat healthily, we quit smoking, we book little holidays in peak wedding season, we make time to socialise and spend time with each other, I don't reply to emails after hours, I make time for personal projects and the best thing by far is now we have bikes and we ride to work! Thirty minutes there and back every day that gives me the space to not look at Twitter/fb/emails.. to not only exercise but to really have some time for myself.. and see the world around me. It might sound crazy but I've never felt so free as I do riding my bike.. it's the best thing I've ever done.. :)
So how's your work/life balance coming along? What things would you like to change? Maybe writing them down might help to make them happen.. :)
