It's almost hard to believe that August is here! Have you been enjoying your summer so far? I have - with lots of family and friends to see, as many of us gather again. It's been so lovely to reconnect.
But for now, I'm soaking in August. It's a month that reminds me of play and one where we begin to slow down in preparation for Autumn and school starting again.
It's a great time to give pause to an otherwise busy life and reflect upon ourselves. What are you doing now? What is the next season of your year going to look like? What would you like to be doing this time next year?
Times are changing, and many people are now looking for other job opportunities or returning to those we did before.
With the Neal's Yard Autumn conference coming up this month, it's also a great time to become a consultant. I love running my own business, and sometimes I wish I had decided to do this sooner. Being a small business owner isn't for everyone. However, it can be very rewarding.
So whatever your work-life balance and year-end goals look like, this week, we have some lovely advice from Courtney Rosenfeld to make it work better for you while focusing on a healthy lifestyle. Courtney is an author and creator of Gigspark: a resource and first step for people looking to join the gig economy, either supplementing their income or fulfilling their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. Here is what she has to say about Healthy Hustling.
Advice When Taking On a Second Job
Taking on a new side hustle can be fun, exciting and lucrative, but it can also be stressful. If you're working around the clock, it's important to remember to look after yourself - proper self-care improves work performance and it also prevents burnout. Here are some considerations before you throw another iron in the fire.
Time Management
As a new side-hustler, you're about to learn that your most valuable commodity is time. So here's a productivity tip: track your time efficiently. With two jobs, managing time is the only way to avoid burnout and maintain a solid work performance, but how can one go about doing this? Luckily, there are plenty of methods developed over the years to help, the most recent being apps. Time management apps are not in short supply with numerous well-funded options already on the market. Smart software like Quickbooks works on your phone, tablet or computer, and it can sync with your invoicing and accounting program, help you with scheduling, and ensure you function more efficiently throughout the week.
If you haven't done so already, you should really look into mastering the art of multitasking… no, really. This doesn't just mean eating your sandwich from your desk but also being able to divert your attention quickly from one task to another. Cirkus explains that achieving multitasking prowess means clever prioritisation, practice and, yes, a command over your procrastination reflex. If you can manage just this one bad habit, you might save yourself up to three hours a day.
Mental Health
If you haven't considered your mental health in relation to a new professional pursuit, you may want to factor it in - per mind, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, in any given week in England. The problem is widespread and cyclical in its relationship with the workday. If you push yourself too hard, you may create demons to wrestle and if you're busy wrestling demons, how are you going to find time to work?
Keeping on top of your mental health is first and foremost about communication. You need to be sure that you're not overloading yourself with work quantities and, to avoid this problem, you need to be able to express yourself clearly. In the instances where you are overburdened, it's important to speak with a boss or with HR. You're less useful to your company if you're exhausted anyway. If your symptoms are more severe and you're struggling with excessive fears, suicidal thoughts or any others mentioned in the link above, do seek professional help.
Family Time
Experts identify 8 different areas of self-care. One that is frequently overlooked is your 'social' state - relating to personal relationships and time spent with loved ones. The pain from being socially rejected has been compared by experts to physical injury and so, if you find yourself in a socially negative environment at work, the importance of a friendly unit to fall back on is amplified.
As simple as it may sound, the easiest step towards shifting the balance more in favor of social activities and family time is to actually increase the time you spend with the people you care about. Even if you find yourself in a position of loneliness, dedicating hours of the week to after-work activities or dating is a step towards a better quality, more well-rounded life in general.
As you take on your new side-hustle, the simple things are more important than ever. If you can find time for loved ones, mental health recuperation and a good cup of tea, there's no reason your new work life shouldn't be a manageable one.
Written by Courtney Rosenfeld.
Sharon Cole is a therapist passionate about natural health, hands-on therapies and body-mind wellness. Book an appointment to see how her massage techniques and reflexology skills can help you relax your body and mind for complete wellness
If you want to find out more about Neal's Yard Organic, join our friendly team, and use the power of plants and Neal's Yard Remedies expertise to build the business of your dreams, or just create a side-hustle for extra cash, then get in touch to see how we can support you.
Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.
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