8 Tips For A More Balanced Life With Lauren Kaufman

Happy Friday! So excited to be hosting a guest writer, Lauren Kaufman, today! Lauren is a good friend of mine and future entrepreneur who just moved to Santa Cruz. The two of us instantly clicked after talking about all things business & social media marketing. Today, she's put together 8 Tips For A More Balanced Life...which I think everyone could use a little bit of help with! Shall we get started?

1) Rest & Sleep

There was a point in my life where I had so much on my plate that I had to schedule in time to sleep. This is when my life was at its peak of chaos and I felt the worst I had ever felt. I knew that getting sleep was important but so were the other 5 jobs I was working. I slowly started cutting back on those things and prioritized my sleep. When you sleep, your body has time to remove toxins from your body that built up doing the day when you were out doing things. It will help you think better because as you are sleeping, your brain is able to connect things that you are currently learning to things that you have previously learned. Your immune system and cardiovascular system are compromised if you are sleep deprived and your metabolism is affected, making you feel more hungry and possibly leading to weight gain. Not getting enough as well as getting to much sleep can cause things like depression, mood swings, and irritability. There has to be a balance! So make sure you are going to bed & waking up at a decent hour. (Find out more here!)

2) Good Nutrition & Exercise

I could go on and on about how important eating a balanced meal is but I am pretty sure everyone for the past 100 years has heard that speech. Instead, I will share a cute graphic with interesting statistics on the two so that you can make an informed decision on how much of each is best to implement into your life. 

3) Relationships: Family, Friends, Community

In my life, my relationships help me with all of the other elements in the balance wheel. I find that by having people I know care about me and only want to support me, I am able to thrive in the other areas of my life. When I started my YouTube channel, my parents supported me by getting me equipment for Christmas and that meant everything to me. I know that everyone is in a different spot with their family, but there are definitely community groups and friends that are out there and can’t wait to help and support you when your paths cross.

4) Work, Financial, Career

Yes, work, having money, and eventually having a career is very important, but it needs to be monitored. Having a great job or having lots of money should not in the way of the people that care for you and your sanity. Here is an example of what I mean. I started working in April of 2019 as a Social Media Manager. It wasn’t a job I was seeking, it just sort of fell in my lap and I had never had a freelance job where I wasn’t the boss and there were deadlines that had to be met. I was extremely bad at delegating my time. I would work 15 min here, 40 min there, 5 min here, 3 hours there, etc. I was so tired of it. I was still living at home at the time with my entire family and if they would ask if I wanted to go out to dinner, I would say no because I had to work. I didn’t understand that I needed to manage my time and actually have specific hours each day when I worked so that I could go out and do things. I now have an allotted amount of hours per weekday and take the weekends off. It has helped my mental state immensely because I am not constantly feeling like I should be working. 

I also recommend getting a planner (Marshall's has some super cute ones), and a budget book! My husband and I just started using the budget book to keep track of our expenses and it has allowed us to feel so much more confident with our money. 

As for career, all I have to say is if you are not happy with where you are working now, or if it is not a job that is going to propel you in the direction of your ultimate career choice, why are you working there? Our time on earth is so limited and you should always, always, always, be working somewhere that you are excited to go to, that leaves you feeling refreshed and productive. You are the only one who can create the life you want for yourself.

5) Intellectual Stimulation

At the high school that I attended, one of their main focuses was to get their students to want to be life long learners. They definitely accomplished that with me! I have this drive to always want to learn and I feel that it is so important. Your brain needs that exercise in order to continue functioning properly and increase its capabilities. So finding a hobby or something that interests you and makes you want to learn more will not only help you physically but will help you to feel better mentally.  

6) Creativity & Play

Work is often times associated with a lot of the stress that manifests in our life and it shouldn't be what we center our lives around. I mean, if you absolutely love your job it won’t feel like work at all but there definitely needs to be time for doing things that are just purely for fun. Studies have shown that having fun and doing something away from that office is proved to reduce stress, improve the ability to cope with things, boost energy, improve your memory and concentration, improve your connection to others in your life, have a sounder sleep, and create a more positive mindset & lifestyle. So get out there and do things that are purely for fun! (read more here!)

7) Spirituality & Sense of Purpose

When you have a sense of purpose in your life, often times you will feel more driven to complete your goals. Whether you believe in a higher power, are connected in a spiritual way, or simply have your own practices, fostering that area of your life can greatly boost your confidence in making decisions for important things. In my life, I have always held my religion super close to my heart and it has always guided me in the right direction. If you are unsure about what next steps to take in terms of having that spiritual aspect of your life, do a quick Google search about what fits best for your life. If you are trying to find a way to balance this in your life, make sure you have a set time that you have in your day that is devoted solely to your practices. Have all of your focus and attention there, turn off your phone, remove all distractions, and let yourself be submerged at this time. This will allow your mind to feel at peace that you have gotten that time in and it is now time to focus on other things throughout your day. 

Bonus Tip:

If you have made it this far, congratulations! Here is an awesome tip for stickin’ with me! I really recommend getting the app “Forest”. This app’s purpose is to help you stay focused. You get a plant, set a timer, and if you keep away from your phone for all of the time you have set, your plant will grow, give you points, and you can earn cooler plants and trees. If you close out the app, (not including turning your screen off), your plant will begin to die and you will have to restart your time and receive no points. It has really helped me because A) I don't want to kill the plant & B) they actually plant real trees if you complete the time so you are saving the earth while doing your work!

Want to hear from another guest writer or Lauren again? Comment down below and let us know who?