Marketing Your Creativity

Post written by Leo Babauta.

How do you find a balanced life when you’re overloaded with work?

How do you switch off work when you’re away from the office?

The answers to these very common questions are elusive. It’s never an easy thing. But once you do find this balance you’ll find enormous benefits: more enjoyment of life and better relationships and less stress and a better quality of life overall.

A reader recently asked:

“I’d love to hear advice on how people who work full-time jobs can still manage to attain a well-balanced life. Especially in roles that give you sales targets, monitor you, and can be very stressful. I know it’s best to switch off after working hours, but sometimes (as humans) it is tough.

In Hong Kong, part-time jobs don’t pay well here and are tough to find, and full-time jobs often require overtime and are very stressful (it’s the Hong Kong norm to squeeze out as much as you can from an employee). In this corporate jungle, a part-time would be a perfect job for me (say 9-3 everyday); however it’s very hard to find jobs like that – it’s just not how the job market here is in Asia.

So how does one keep their calm and be grounded and still make time & energy for family, friends, myself, hobbies, interests and let’s face it – sanity? How does one learn to ‘not keep goals’ when that is what is expected from 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. 5 days a week? It’s tough to be 2 different people at work and outside of work.”

That’s a tough one. I should note that in many countries — including the U.S. — this is a common problem even if it’s not as pronounced as in Hong Kong (for example). We all face these problems whether we’re employees or self-employed or free-lancers or own our own businesses. (more…)

I just got finished loading my car with my ceramics (and all the other stuff that goes with it) for a show I am doing later this afternoon.  I have a VERY long/narrow driveway, so there is no way for me to back my mini-van to the garage without damaging the side of the house or the sides of the car (not to mention the fence in the way which keeps the dogs contained).  So, I have to haul the stuff out to the van on the street.  To do so, I take great advantage of my friend Dolly.  Dolly is my hand-truck which allows me to move everything more efficiently.  Not only things I might not be able to lift and carry that distance, but she also cuts down the amount of trips.

Today, I was thinking about Dolly and how she really helps me leverage my work-load.  And then I was thinking about other tools I use and the power of leverage.   (more…)

2010 was an amazingly fast year and it looks like 2011 might be faster.  I miss the days of wondering when summer break would arrive and then Christmas.  Now I am just in awe of how fleeting these moments are.

Just before the new year, I asked you to vote on your favorite blog posts from 2010 and the results are in.

Drum roll please . . .the top 10 blog posts of 2010 are . . . (more…)

I can procrastinate with the best of the best procrastinators.  I have projects that I have procrastinated doing or finishing for YEARS!  However, you probably believe that I do more than the average bear.  I do, because I eat my frogs.

Many years ago I read a business book by Brian Tracy called “Eat that Frog!”  It was 21 ways to avoid procrastination and get more done.  It was an easy read, so it didn’t end up in the pile of business books I still have yet to read.  His theory is (more…)