Summer is when everything heats up, literally. Weekends get filled with invites to brunches, cocktails, barbeques, concerts and music festivals and random happenings around the city and somehow weekends become four days starting on Thursdays. Everything else gets crunched as a result and my commitment to work and maintaining a healthy lifestyle requires more focus and diligence but sometimes something has to give.

I knew that the move from New York to London two years ago would force me to take a giant step back from my over-scheduled life and it would free me up to focus more on my family and my career, although not always in that order. I was all for it but work has filled in the gaps more than I anticipated. I expected to work harder, longer hours in London. I have a network to build and a name to make for myself in this town after all and I am free to do that mostly unencumbered in a new city and country. I’m 6 weeks into a new position at work and I’m always happiest when change is new. I’m excited to work with different people, learn about new products and solve new problems. I jumped in with both feet and working longer hours but like I said, sometimes something has to give.

My workouts have taken a back seat and I have to make peace with the shape that my body has taken as a result but even though I’m spending less time at home I refuse to let my family time slip. I am currently in week two of a 3-week offsite and tomorrow (Wednesday) my family will travel to stay with me for the rest of the week. I am not always able to take my family with me when I travel for work and I realize that most people aren’t able to either but I will when I can and I know plenty of working mothers (and fathers) that do it as well.

After the workshops, I will spend the next two weeks traveling around South East Asia where workouts and other activities will still take a back seat and family and I will be tied for first as I recharge with lots of massages and fresh, delicious food and maybe I can even squeeze in a yoga session…maybe.  Someone once told me “you can have it all, just not all at the same time” but I am always testing that hypothesis or as my friends tell me “I’m doing the most”.

I’ll follow up with the deets on my vacay soon.  In the meantime let me know what are some of the ways that you maintain your work/life balance?