A couple of years ago I went for one month vacation to Bali. I remember I admired people there who were working as freelancers and enjoying their lifes. It seemed like a dream job for me. You can go to any place whenever you want, and no one controls your life and your schedule. You only need a laptop or tablet with you, a comfortable place, internet, and little bit of inspiration. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?

But in my job as a fashion illustrator, I faced an issue in my daily schedule. By the way, I thought when you work for yourself, it takes 2-3 hours per day, and the rest of the time you can do whatever you want. But in reality, especially in the beginning of your career, when you want to achieve your goals, and are highly motivated, you find yourself working 10-12 hours every day and sometimes even without a day off.

At least this happened to me in the first year when I started to run this business. And even now, sometimes I find myself keeping working till late, and after I go to bed, I can’t fall asleep because I already want to wake up and continue working. Can you imagine loving your job as much?

But one time, while drinking my morning coffee, I realized that so many things need to be done in life, but I put so much energy into work only, and other aspects from the balance wheel, which are also very important, were paused. So how am I going to stay focused and have this life balance?

The secret to life is finding the right balance in everything you do…


First of all, to concentrate on valuable things which I want to balance, I have to know my values and what is important in my life. It can be family, friends, travel, business, sport, personal development, health, education, etc. This is the foundation on which I start to build my mind maps for the next month, three months, six months, and one year. It helps me to see where I’m now and where I want to be.

If you do it once, it will be your life guide that helps you stay focused and motivated, achieve your goals and dreams, and have a life-changing year.

Usually, I start this journey with a one-year map, then after, I go for six, three, and one month. It is much easier for me to see the whole picture of what I want to achieve next year and which category of values needs more attention. According to this, I write steps for every project or goal from each category  in monthly, weekly and daily schedules. Like that, step by step, you are activating all your spheres and making life easier, with no stress because everything is under your control, structured, written in one place, and followed by you.

I don’t like a taught schedule because this was something I wanted to run away from, so I plan my day smoothly. Also, it is important to work not more than 5-6 hours per day and have at least two days off. So you will have plenty of time for other values.

Don’t forget that you will never change your life unless you change your daily routine. And sometimes, the only thing you need is just to make a small step in the right direction.

Stay focused and motivated, always keep your balance and be on fire. And from time to time, don’t forget to look back at how far you’ve already come. Because today you are a little bit closer than you were yesterday.

Best wishes ♥
Ksenia