Founder Alana Nolan gives tips on work-life balance and the one thing to do to get the most out of your day.
This is an excerpt from an interview in Balance the Grind.
To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I would say my whole career has been unplanned. I studied law and business intending to stay in commercial litigation forever and somehow ended up in forensic investigations for one of the Big Four.
After accidentally creating our now flagship product, I landed my current job; Founder of Noonie Australia. Noonie is a unique maternity care brand that was started to serve a perennially overlooked and underserved demographic. The cornerstone invention and product started as a home experiment and has now transformed into a commercial purpose addressing a global challenge. My role is especially exciting as I lead the team in developing unique and beautiful postpartum recovery solutions for new moms all over the world.
What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
Lots of phone calls!
My average work day is a lot like this: First, my morning routine is a lot upside down. I start with emails around 6am to try get ahead of them. Then I’ll practice yoga — yin or a slow stretchy flow; meditate anywhere from 10–40 minutes. I am not a regular coffee drinker and definitely do not have any before meditation.
Once I have myself dressed and presentable — the meetings, calls and mayhem begin. I don’t have a set end time for a work day as I work with designers, manufacturers and marketing teams spread around the world operating on different time zones — if I can finish at 3pm I will; if I have to work past bedtime, I will.
What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
I read once that Tony Robbins said, “There is no such thing as work-life balance; there is only work-life integration”. I tend to agree with most of that.
It’s a cliché but also the truth, if you find something you genuinely believe in doing, you never feel like it’s a chore. But also allocate and prioritise time to nourish yourself and your relationships — otherwise there’s little point to any success you have.
What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
Wake up early; keep a to-do list; if I’m feeling a little whelmed — I will pick up the phone and just talk about the problems in our industry and our mission with whoever answers, so I am reminded of why we do what we do.
Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Take some of the pressure off yourself, worry a little less and find joy where you can — the universe isn’t here to punish you, I promise! Also, take dance breaks whenever you feel frustrated to help remind yourself that it’s meant to be fun.
