The Balancing Act

Recently a friend of mine asked how I balanced my demanding day job and my desire to become a voiceover actor.   Many of my friends wonder how I'm able to accomplish as much as I do.  In all honesty, it's hard work, and there are some days  I don't feel that I'm accomplishing much.  Every day is a balancing act.  In this post, I'll share what I've learned so far.  Everyone has their own process, this one's mine.  If you have questions or thoughts, please weigh in!  Here we go:



1) Set Goals - Know what you want to accomplish, and give yourself a deadline to help you stick to your goals.  This might take some soul searching, or you might already have something in mind.  Whatever it is, WRITE IT DOWN.  And put it somewhere where you'll see it every day - that way, whenever you see it, you're reminded about what you're working towards.  If you're a visual person, then cut out pictures of what your goals are, make a collage and post it.  It feels silly, but it works.   Back when Y2K was the end of the world, I was a consultant traveling across country on a weekly basis.  On one flight home, around the New Year, I wrote down my goals for the next 5 years and made two copies:  one posted next to my bed at home and another I kept in my suitcase.  Four years later, after I had finished graduate school and moved to Minneapolis for my first post-MBA job, I found one of the copies while I was unpacking and re-read what I had written.  That was when I realized I'd already accomplished everything on that list - one year ahead of schedule!


2) Work Towards Your Goals Daily - Some days, I wake up early to practice or submit auditions before going to work.  I'll leave work and rush straight to class, rehearsal or I'll lock myself in my home studio to practice and audition some more.  I'll submit auditions on the weekend, or attend a workshop to further my actor's skillset.

Because I try to leave work around the same time each day so I can do this, my work days have become very focused.  I take only necessary meetings (not having them at all would be ideal, but doesn't quite work for my world).  I try to block off time to focus on projects I'm working on.  I work through lunch.  I try to limit my time internet surfing and sending e-mail.  And I've read a lot about lifehacking and productivity to help me get there.  A few resources I've found inspiring/invaluable:  Tim Ferriss's Four Hour Workweek, Pam Slim's Escape from Cubicle Nation and Keith Ferazzi's Never Eat Alone and Who's Got Your Back,  as well as blogs like The Art of Non-Conformity and  Zen Habits and Lifehacker for inspiration and productivity ideas.  I haven't perfected my system yet, but I'm getting there, a little bit at a time.


3) Don't Forget to Breathe - chances are if you're doing this, you feel like you're burning the candle at both ends.  You may be sacrificing sleep, or exercise (or both).  Give yourself a day off once in a while.  Spend time with loved ones (see item 4 below).  Do things that renew your sense of self, purpose and spirit.  It could be exercise, or journaling, or reading for pleasure.  Whatever it is, make this a regular part of your week to help restore balance when you're feeling burned out.


4) Have a Support System - if you have a spouse or significant other, or a family, or any kind of relationship that you want to maintain in a healthy way, make sure they are on board and supportive of what you want to do.   Find mentors to help guide you through the process and coach you when you're feeling stuck.  When you're making the transition from day job to dream job there will be even more demands on your time than you already have now.  And the people who love you tend to want to spend quality time with you (and vice versa).  Make time to be present with them, and make sure you're checking in with them along the journey to make sure you're both still on the same page.

5)  Check In - Check in on yourself at least quarterly to review your accomplishments and see how you're progressing towards your goals.  Are you on track?  Ahead/behind where you thought you'd be?  What do you need to do or learn to get yourself one step closer to your goals?  Back in January, I shared my goals for the year with you.  In a future post, I'll share my progress with you.

6)  Rebalance - Your priorities might shift or change.  Demands at home or the office might require you to shift focus for a prolonged period of time, or maybe your dream endeavor is taking off!  Every day, month, year you're working towards your new goals means that at some point, once you've done the hard work and checked your progress, you'll have to rebalance everything to make sure you're still going where you want to go.  There are going to be awesome days and crappy ones.  It's a process, and it's fluid.  Be flexible with it and yourself.

As I said before, every day is a balancing act.  These are just a few things I've learned so far on this journey.  There are more lessons to come, I'm sure.  What are your tips and tricks, thoughts or questions?