It is a constant balancing act, and every day is different.
Claire Scott (pictured) is head of business development at Scottish Widows Bank
I have always taken the health and well-being of myself, and my team very seriously. I think that it is even more important in today’s world.
The great thing about technology is that we now no longer have to work in a fixed location, however, this has also created an ‘always on’ culture, blurring the boundaries between life and work.
Building up personal resilience and setting and maintaining boundaries is therefore even more important. Setting a time during the week when I switch off my phone and laptop, and limiting use over the weekends is one of the main ways I do this.
I also schedule a gym session at the end of the day to create space between work and life. I love my job and being a parent so having boundaries in place (and trying to stick to them) means I can be focussed and try to give my best to whatever I am working on.
Regardless of technology, many of us still have to travel for work. I manage a team of business development managers (BDMs) and telephone business development managers (TBDMs) around the country which results in travelling for meetings.
Using travel time to catch up on admin and scheduling working from home days really helps balance the demands of this.
I’m by no means a saint but it goes without saying that things like getting enough sleep and eating well help deal with the challenges of work and life.
I also find setting goals, planning ahead and focussing on objectives really helps maintain my mental health.
This could be anything from taking up a new hobby to focussing on spending more time with family and friends.
I have been very fortunate over the years to have support from work to balance personal and professional commitments and to be surrounded by like-minded people.
I’ve also been very lucky in terms of role models and mentors over the years which has helped me to build my career.
It is a constant balancing act, and every day is different, and like everyone, some days are better than others, but taking a few simple measures means that I am not only trying to make sure that I am performing at my best, but hopefully also setting a good example for my team, and my family.
