I’m back with another Balance It Out interview! As women, we wear so many different hats, and it’s amazing how we get it all done. You have to be intentional with your time, and from my own experience, some days the scales are not balanced AT ALL! The key is knowing what your definition of balance looks like, and putting time where it matters in every changing season. Having some sort of balance is a constant work in progress. Ultimately, we all want to avoid burn out, and the feeling of being overworked!
Balance It Out
This series will be gaining insight from busy women as they excel in their careers, manage their side hustles, and pour into their passion projects–while still making self and family a priority! Whether single, married, with kids or without, they are sharing how they do it! For me, its always nice to get a peak into how other women balance work and life, hopefully we can all gain something from them!
Kendall Green is a surgical registered nurse, currently obtaining her Doctorate in Nursing Practice to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. When she is not doing her nursing thing, which also includes being a clinical instructor, she manages to make time for pouring into her brand. She is the content creator behind the blog and Instagram ‘astoldbykendall,’ where she shares all things style, wellness, and travel.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a twenty-something-year-old native of Georgia who loves inspiring others through my work. I wear many hats–surgical nurse, Doctorate of Nursing Practice student, content creator, sister, friend, world traveler, and many more–all of which compose a different part of my life, yet each make me happy and whole.
What does your morning routine consist of?
My morning routine honestly depends on the day (e.g. Am I working? Is it an off day? Am I traveling?) , but no matter what’s on the agenda, I always take a few moments of my time to affirm positivity. Despite this, every day may not be one where I achieve all of my tasks or one that I claim as being great (or even good), but at the very least I can say that I tried my best to start off the day positively. My mornings are otherwise a combination of day planning, goal-setting, and get sh*t done! #reallifegirlboss
Do you use any apps or tools to help you organize/plan out your day?
With everything that I do, organization means everything to be. I’ve always been a pencil-and-paper type of girl. I use my favorite Law of Attraction planner to plan for the weeks ahead (and my Content Planner to plan my content), whether I’m jotting down important deadlines, appointments, or happy hour dates, it all goes down in my planner. I feel much more accountable for m to-do list items when I physically write them down and subsequently cross them off my list.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My days vary depending on what’s going on. If I’m at work, it’s non-stop action on a busy surgical/transplant floor. I wake up at 0430, wash my face, get dressed, fix breakfast, pack my lunch, then it’s out the door for a 12-hour shift. Afterwards, I’ll hit the gym for a quick workout, eat a light dinner, and go to sleep. On my “off” days, it’s slightly different. I’m far from free on most of my off days. Typically, I’ll wake up around 0800, eat breakfast, go to the gym, study or complete other school assignments, plan content for my social media platforms, each lunch some time between activities, perhaps go to the gym again, eat dinner, then wind down.
How do you achieve balance?
Balance is achieved through prioritization. To me, it’s that simple. If you know me, then you know that I always have a lot on my plate, but I’m always ready to eat! That’s the mindset that I’ve had since I was a young girl, and nothing has changed. I start my days off with a plan. What are my highest priorities? What can be done later? What can I delegate? These are questions that I ask myself everyday. However, I also have to be aware of my limitations and know that there are only 24 hours in a day. What I can’t get done one day, I’ll add it to my agenda for the next day. Being as busy as I am, structure is important, but so if flexibility. Everything can’t always go according to planned, and I’m continuing to try and accept that and roll with life’s punches.
What does rest look like for you?
To me, rest means being in the presence of my own solitude. I’m not sure why there is such a stigma around people who like to be alone or do things by themselves. In my opinion, being alone and in the comfort of your own thoughts is a necessary part of good mental health. There are times where I simply need a break from all that’s going on. Lighting candles, reading, listening to music, and journaling are all ways that I relax and disconnect.
How do you stay motivated?
Believe it or not, motivation can be hard for me–especially when I get comfortable in a certain area in my life. I won’t lie and say that I’m always motivated, because I’m not. Complacency can be so so sweet, but too much sugar can ruin you. Motivation comes from wanting to be better than who you were yesterday. Only you can motivate you. People will tell you all day that other people–public figures, friends, family members, etc.–motivate them to want to change or want to be better versions of themselves. And while that claim may hold true in part, it’s not the whole truth. No one can make you develop better, healthier habits. No one can make you start working on your goals. No one can make you do anything that you don’t want to do for yourself. Motivation has to comes from within. Once you realize that you possess the drive to want more for yourself, that’s when motivation will come more freely and without resistance.
What is one thing that you always make time for?
As cliche as it sounds, I always make time for myself. It’s okay to be selfish. It’s okay to want to spend time figuring your own stuff out. It’s okay to disconnect from the world for the sake of your own peace and sanity. No matter who you are or what you do, it’s honestly the healthiest thing that you can do for yourself.
What does self-care mean to you?
Self-care means being in-tune and aware of when I need a physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual reboot. Self-care is not just facials and manicures, but it’s also how in-sync my entire being is. In my life, self-care comes in many forms: eating healthy, regularly exercising, praying, spending time with family and friends, reading, being still, etc. When I am feeding my mind, body, and soul with all of these good things, then growth in inevitable in all aspects of my life.
How has being intentional helped you achieve balance?
Being intentional is not a choice for me, but a necessity in order to achieve my goals. I find that a lot of people have dreams, but to me, dreams are simply goals that are not yet put into action. Oppositely, goals are actionable items that one is working towards. Go-getters have goals, not dreams. Intention and goal-setting go hand-in-hand, and undoubtedly, I have achieved goals much faster studying and applying this school of thought. Balance comes into play when I am able to take all of the goals that I have for myself and prioritize my steps in order to achieve them, all the while having fun doing it.
Where can we find you? FB, IG, website
Instagram: @astolbykendall
Blog: www.astoldbykendall.com
Thank you so much Kendall for sharing!
… and thank you all for reading! xo
This is a great post! I couldn’t agree more with taking time for self-care. We often wear so many hats that we forget to stop and take time for ourselves, and if we do, we tend to view it as selfish.
That part about feeling selfish for taking some time for self is so true! Ugh. But we have to anyways. Thanks for reading, Ashley!