Leadership by Cornerstone
Oct 2024
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Greetings Reader,
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This month we've got a lot going on, so let's kick it off!
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Introduction
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I am thrilled to introduce this month’s special guest for our Q&A section! Nurdes Gomez has graciously taken the time to answer key questions on the topic of work/life balance, offering actionable advice and fresh perspectives that I know you’ll find invaluable.
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Q & A with Nurdes...
What are the most common challenges your clients face when trying to achieve work/life balance?
That it doesn't exist. The reality is that balance makes you believe that we can equally divide time and energy across all aspects of life, which isn't realistic. Life is too dynamic, priorities change and we need to be flexible. Many times my clients want to be "constantly on", available and accessible for all of the needs of others. They often struggle with the guilt of stepping away from work, fearing it will impact their performance or the perception of their commitment. This is unsustainable and will lead to burnout, frustration and self-neglect, as people feel too overwhelmed to take care of their own well-being. Moreover, people struggle with truly understanding their priorities, having meaningful goals to aspire to and adjusting these as necessary with the constant changes of life. When we become overwhelmed by the volume of tasks and constant interruptions - we confuse what's urgent and what can be planned to be completed at a future time. In coaching, we work on shifting away from this all-or-nothing mindset, focusing instead on setting boundaries, adjusting goals, and staying adaptable as life evolves.
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How do you help clients define what balance looks like for them personally?
First, we review their goals. What are your short-term, mid-term and long-term goals? Together, we look at what matters most to them across both personal and professional aspects of life. Once the goals are determined, prioritize them based on timelines and importance. How can you plan your day/week/month to schedule time to work on each of these goals so that continuous progress is made? As you can see, it isn't balance but rather harmony. Sometimes we will work more, sometimes we'll plan more leisure but it'll never be a perfect balance. Trying to do so, will lead to emotional and mental stress as we are unable to reach this false belief. I focus on developing time management strategies, prioritization, and resilience training to meaningfully support them. We need to be able to give ourselves the grace to re-prioritize and change plans as life and expectations change. In addition, I encourage clients to leverage technology, including AI tools such as ChatGPT, to work smarter vs. harder. By using technology to augment our processes, we can reclaim time for what truly matters.
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What strategies do you suggest for clients to prevent burnout while still being successful in their careers?
It all begins with self-care and living intentionally. I live by my calendar, like many others. Individuals may work through their to-do lists, planners or other resources that help them stay organized. However, how many of us plan our self-care alongside our work tasks? We plan meetings and deadlines, but do we also carve out time for work-outs, family, social gatherings, relaxation, and fun? Burnout happens from deficiencies in our lives over an extended period of time. To prevent this, I encourage my clients to focus on the 8 dimensions of wellness: physical, intellectual, financial, occupational, social, environmental, spiritual and emotional. How many of these are incorporated in your goals, your priorities and scheduled into your day/week/month? If they aren't, what are you risking?
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What tips do you provide for clients to better manage time and priorities in their daily routine?
- Protect your calendar - honor your time, maintain your boundaries, time block for focus and breaks
- Stay focused on top priorities - analyze your values, level of urgency, deadlines and ask yourself: What's the one accomplishment that will make you feel successful today?
- Refuel your resilience - integrate physical activity, a healthy diet, develop coping skills, focus on what you can control, and practice empathy towards yourself and others
- Maintain your boundaries - communicate clearly, don't say "no" outright but rather "not right now, how about we plan it for ...", use tech to support your boundaries
- Manage your energy levels - focus your tough tasks on your high energy times, do something fun when you feel low energy, adjust your day based on how you are feeling
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*Nurdes Gomez is a dedicated People Operations professional with 16+ years of experience, focusing on compassion, process improvement, and employee development. She spent 13 years at Baptist Health South Florida, fostering employee growth across multiple hospitals, and later transitioned to a start-up environment at Health System Solutions. In 2024, Nurdes was honored with the Excellence in Human Resources Award by StevenDouglas and the HR Leader of the Year Award by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. She enjoys connecting on LinkedIn so don't be shy to connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nurdes-gomez/.
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As you reflect on your own work/life balance, remember that it’s a personal journey—what works for one person may not work for another. The key is to find harmony that supports both your professional success and personal well-being. Small, intentional changes can make a big difference.
What step will you take today to bring more balance into your life?
Looking for a way to start balancing work and life? Download my FREE gift, the Personal Leader’s Dashboard.
If you found this edition insightful and inspiring, please forward to your network. Questions, comments, go ahead and hit reply!
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If you’re ready to take the next step toward creating a better work/life balance or need personalized strategies for success, I’m here to help! Feel free to reach out and schedule a free consultation.​
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Thank you for being a part of the Cornerstone community!
Until next time,
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