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lifestyle || the reality of work-life balance | a student’s transition to the 9 to 5

IoanaApril 1, 2021

Listen to this video as a podcast: https://anchor.fm/mistralspirit

OK, let’s be honest. A *full-time job*, great relationships, crushing your goals, maintaining your side-hustle AND dealing with administrative tasks like laundry, cooking, and surprise repairs … you can’t have time for everything. It’s impossible, isn’t it?! (AND I didn’t even include a commute 😲)

I’m a university student entering the workforce, and the new 9-5 routine for my marketing internship (which I’m loving, btw!!) has been an adjustment lately. It feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day, and ✨gone✨ is the absolute flexibility of being a full-time student, blogger/YouTuber, and part-time (freelance) marketing consultant.

By the time 5 pm rolls around, there are only 5 hours left to start the “life” part of my “work-life” balance. Five weeks ago, my morning workouts completely fell off my priority list, I was going to bed too late in an effort to prolong the day, and I was all-around tired.


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I couldn’t help but wonder: if this is going to be my daily routine after I graduate, how am I EVER going to find the time again for what matters to me? I furiously browsed through social media pages at 1 am, but everyone I could find sharing their experience was either a full-time student or a full-time entrepreneur. Don’t get me wrong – I know first-hand that those careers are REALLY hard too, but they are completely different in flexibility and structure.

Where were the working professionals and THEIR semblance of a work-life balance on YouTube? In other words: how do people DO IT?!

(Seriously, if you have any book/blog/channel recommendations – please share them! 😋)

the challenge

Setting new goals and finding pockets of time to work towards them is an important part of self-development. But when life gets in the way, routines change, and time is scarce, we need to go back to the essentials.

I used the concept of “energy non-negotiables” to reset and re-calibrate my expectations and I challenge you to do the same! Think carefully about what habits you REALLY need to support your lifestyle (not just as goals). Use this question to guide you:

What do I need in order to: have energy, feel confident and be my best self?

Stress-test your energy non-negotiables with some of these journal questions:

  • When life gets busy, would I still want to push myself to do this?
  • Is this a critical part of maintaining a positive relationship with myself?
  • Have I let go of guilt-inducing habits, and shifted them into the realm of accomplishment instead of obligation?

When you’re ready, share them with our Vibely community!


Remember to give this video a THUMBS UP if you found it helpful, and SUBSCRIBE (+notification bell) for a new video every week.


links

Listen to this video as a podcast: https://anchor.fm/mistralspirit

Come stay in touch on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mistralspirit

Greg Bodwin’s inspiring tweet: https://twitter.com/gregbodwin/status/1408576508634009603

Join our virtual Vibely community: https://app.vibely.io/mistralspirit

Join our book club in time for our July book of the month! https://www.facebook.com/groups/mistralspiritbookclub

All other Mistral Spirit links and discount codes: https://mistralspirit.com/links/

My romania vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K6fHkbvO2U

My Queen’s vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZuQGuZIHP0

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Nice to meet you!

Hi, it’s Ioana! I’m a blogger, brand marketer, and recent Queen’s Commerce alumni. When I’m not drinking coffee, reading, studying or exploring the city, I dabble in creative projects like this one!

Latest posts

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    November 1, 2022
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    July 25, 2022
  • what it means to be your own friend (feat. my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall)

    April 26, 2022

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ioana.pitu

ioana | mistral spirit | organization & creativity
Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
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Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
So glad I overcame my initial hesitation toward th So glad I overcame my initial hesitation toward this book being about video games. It’s a delight for my brain so far and I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent all of this morning and afternoon reading (it was glorious) and I’ve learned 3 new words I adore:
- dilettante
- Weltschmerz
- palimpsest

Pls note: photos taken “while reading” are obviously not as impromptu as they may appear on Instagram. They’re usually when (a) you’re on a reading intermission because you either haven’t started or are getting a bit tired of reading for so long or (b) there’s a long period of descriptive text that doesn’t necessarily represent the quality of the book and is a good time to hashtag let-me-take-a-selfie. So don’t read this one page and form an opinion about the book. Instagram isn’t reality. 😜

Pls also note I’m only 40% through the book so my review isn’t definite. I’ve been burned before by jumping too excitedly to recommend a book (in this case, TV show) to everyone around me before realizing it gets WEIRD later on. So take my moment of excitement with a grain of salt - more thoughts to come!
Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and @leuchtturm1917 @leuchtturm1917canada! 👀 Here’s a closer look!

Can you tell I had so much fun unboxing this 😅 It’s my new desk pen for days that I want to feel a little ✨fancy✨

#gifted #pen #amwriting #bulletjournalleuchtturm1917 #gelpen #journal #journaling #planner #studygram #aestheticstudy #bujo #bulletjournal #bulletjournalpen #bujopen #minimalistplanner #bulletjournaling #bulletjournalcommunity #penlover
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