I'm a total speedoholic and a rushaholic.
And I've become an even bigger speedoholic and rushaholic since having a baby and returning to full-time work.
Reflecting on 2021, I realise that I have managed to achieve a lot - got back to work from maternity, managed to juggle having my daughter at home until she was 11 months before she started daycare, made new friends in the Netherlands, travelled 3 times during these COVID days (probably would've been 13 had it not been for COVID) and generally, kept everything going smoothly, taking care of my family daily while having a newborn and now a toddler.
I'll be honest, having a child is a lot of work, especially when neither my husband nor I have any family living here in the Netherlands. I did not expect it to be that much and I'm guilty of trying to do many things on my own (even though I have a terrific, supportive husband) and putting pressure on myself to get so many things done in a single day, feeling like a failure when not getting something done or not getting it done on time as per my original plan. The time I've had for myself to recharge or disconnect has been minimal, mainly because I had prioritised other to-dos.
The work-life balance or work-life integration I had before having my beautiful daughter was figured out and sorted; it was working perfectly. But in 2021, I've been trying to adjust to my new normal. In some areas, I've succeeded, in others I haven't and especially in taking care of myself.
As we enter 2022, a really good TED video popped into my email inbox - In Praise of Slowness - which you can see below.
I guess it was a needed reminder for me to think about what really matters and how many things are in our control, even though our society demands busyness.
So for 2022, I pledge to take the time to:
What do you pledge to do more slowly in 2022?