5 small changes for work/life balance

Some changes I have decided to make to help with my work life balance in 2019. I would love to hear your thoughts and what changes have helped you in the past.

1. Sleep
I often read and hear about the importance of sleep in terms of your mind and body functioning, so what can I do to improve the quality and duration of my sleep? I sleep in a dark room, with one ear plug in (for the ear that is not on the pillow!), with technology removed but I still amn't logging enough hours! So Sun - Thurs I am now hitting the pillow by 10pm at the latest, I might read for 20 mins but asleep by 10.30pm. The reason for this is that I want to rise at 6am and working backwards that the amount of sleep I need, 8 hours. Of course I can function on less but that is my goal this year and it feels good so far!

2. Meditation
For those who know me personally, sitting still is not something that comes naturally to me! I am a bit more like the Duracell bunny that keeps going until eventually runs empty! I have tried meditation on a few occasions, just 10 mins using the app Calm , but never on a consistence basis. So when I wake at 6am, I do my stretches ( to keep ongoing back issues at bay) and then I sit for 10 mins to practice the Daily Calm, a 10 min guided meditation, I find it starts my day in a positive way and while my mind wanders lots, I bring it back and I look forward to that time each morning.

3. To Do lists
I love ticking things off lists, but sometimes I get carried away with items that are not important or urgent! Things don't have to be perfect but completed. This means I can push myself way to much and not necessarily on the most productive tasks. Therefore I followed a suggestion from Lorraine Murphy, The Ideas Coach to plan out my day, hour by hour, the night before. So each evening, I plan what I will do each hour of the next day, this includes work tasks that are of high importance and items like, exercise, downtime, time with kids, time cooking etc. This way when I finish my meditation I don't waste time on emails, checking social media etc. I get to my first task on the list.

4. Intermittent fasting
So here is the only food based tip! I practice intermittent fasting (the 16/8 method), I achieve 14 hours most days (i.e. 14/10). The idea is that you eat in an 8-10 hour window and then fast for 14-16 hours (including while you sleep). You can drink water, coffee or tea ( non calorific drinks) during that time. It improves your metabolic health and in some cases helps with weight loss. I certainly feel good. I am finished my last meal at 6pm and eat my breakfast at 8am.

5. Gratitude
Each night when I climb into bed and apply my hand cream, I spend those few minutes practicing gratitude. Historically I am a glass half empty girl so this mind shift has really helped me. I think of 5 things I am grateful for that day and ignore what didn't go so well. Each of the above items often give me inspiration, e.g. I am grateful that I completed my meditation, completed x & y from my list, spent time with kids etc. Once I have chosen 5 I repeat in my mind and then fall asleep or read!

I hope some of these might help you gain a work/life balance in 2019 and I would love to hear what tips you have and what works for you.