Work Hard, Play Hard.

Work hard, play hard! 😆

Fun fact, did you know that the phrase 'work hard, play hard' can be traced back to 1884 in Wisconsin, when it was used as a slogan for the local college. Now it's a very common phrase that we've probably all said or heard at some point in our lives, talk about a successful marketing ploy! 👏

But why do we say it?

Well, studies suggest that incorporating this into our professional life can actually help boost productivity! When you work hard, it's only right you get to play hard - it can help prevent burnout, improve social relationships amongst your colleagues and improve your work-life balance. ✨

However, it's important to make sure you don't 'play too hard', as this can make working hard more difficult. When I was working in London in the tv, fashion and film industry, it was standard to always go out drinking and clubbing after work. I would stay up until 5am and after a whole night of partying, I'd come into work the next day on little to no sleep. I would do this day in and day out until eventually, I became so exhausted from this lifestyle of work hard, play hard, or shall I say 'working hard and then playing way harder', that it inevitably lead to a complete burnout. 😪

After this I decided to move to North Devon, for a quiet life. There's a lot to take away from my experience but in the end, I learnt more than anything that it's fine to 'work hard, play hard' as long as the playing does not interfere with the working! I broke free from the cycle by discovering other ways to have fun, like exercise and yoga and my life has changed for the better because of it! Now I get to work hard and play hard in a way that doesn't cause me to burnout! 💚

How do you balance out your work and personal life? Let me know in the comments below! 👇

As always,

Love Lauren

xx