Blog Every Day in June Day 15 : Work / Life Balance

It is a strong misconception that Librarians must have very peaceful lives, filled with reading books and helping people find an interesting book to read, but with the constant threat / reality of budget cuts we are all being asked to do more with less. What happened to this positive work-life balance that I was suppose to be gaining by working as a Librarian?

Lately, I have been scrutinising my life because, despite the misconception, Librarians are extremely busy people with many demands on our time. I work in a theological library; I am the only Librarian working full-time with 3 permanent part-time technicians and 2 casual shelvers.

It gets pretty hectic being the only Librarian, I wear many hats; I am a cataloguer, an information services librarian, a liaison librarian, the library manager, occasionally a shelver and many other things. As many of you can attest to, there are many and varied roles on any given day. So, how to combat this so called imbalance?

My top five tips:

1. If you are struggling to find some down time, schedule it in. A little relaxation goes along way. I try to have a bubble bath once a week, I treat myself to some beautiful smelling bubble baths and soak away with a bit of music playing or with a book.

2. Get outside; take a stroll, living in Sydney we have been blessed with a beautiful harbour or if you are after something a little slower paced, there are some pretty parks situated around the suburbs.

3. Prioritise your health. Taking care of yourself is ultimately the best way to achieve that balance. If you are happy and healthy you will have more energy and enthusiasm to devote to those around you.

4. Be assertive and say no to (or minimise) activities that are not enhancing your professional or personal life.

5. Lastly, Be positive in your attitude to life and where you work because despite the busyness of being a Librarian, we work in the best profession of all.

- Gabby @gabriellefury

Work and Health

Unfortunately working in a library often means lots of time in front of a computer screen. My job is sedentary.  Furthermore, I am essentially pretty lazy and I have to use all sorts of self-talk to exercise.

Here are five tips to get you out from your computer screen and to get some activity into your day.

There is an app for that

There are many apps available for smartphones that help you to track your exercise, set goals and have some fun while exercising. A few I use are: Runkeeper, Fitocracy, Zombies, Run! Both Fitocracy and Zombies, Run! turn exercise into a game to make it more fun and keep you motivated.

I adore Zombies, Run! it is set in a post-apocalyptic world with zombies and the narrative is excellent. You can use the settings to be chased by zombies to help with interval training.

Runkeeper I use for setting goals and tracking my activity. Recently I have started using a couple of apps to help me meditate: Buddhify and Headspace.

Playlists

Music is a great motivator. I make a new playlist before a fun run. Something you love singing along to that help keeps the heart rate up. It makes the exercise time go faster. You can crowd source your playlists ask your friends and followers on social media what music they exercise to. If you use Spotify you can make playlists and share them with your followers.

Tell others

If you want some help with your new fitness regime. Tell others. Commit yourself publically to your exercise goals. I get heaps of encouragement when I am doing a fun run from friends and family.

Buddies

In our workplace we are participating in Global Corporate Challenge, which is a team building, exercise program where participants aim to walk 10,000 steps per day. With every step you virtually travel to different locations around the world. This is my fourth year participating. Being in a team with my work colleagues is great. It encourages healthy competition as teams throughout the University aim to be at the top of the ladder at the end of the three months. Having a work buddy to exercise with can really help make exercise less onerous and encourage you to get your steps up.

Make time

Making time for exercise is important for both my physical and mental health. I consider it me time.  I find I am happier overall and able to work more effectively if I am feeling fit and healthy.

I’ll just slip in a final tip - try and have fun. Find exercise that you like. I mix it up. I like to run, walk, ride and dance. What exercise will you choose to get you out from behind your computer?

Kim Tairi