At Micro-Documentaries, a number of our team members use our policy of extreme flexibility to go off on globetrotting adventures. But a larger percent of us continue to live more ordinary lives, working from home, making ourselves meals, shopping at the local grocery store, spending time with our families. This week one of our production managers, Jacqueline Colavolpe, shares her story of managing extreme flexibility at home — and of the challenges and rewards that have come from it.
Here’s the thing: Extreme flexibility sounds sublime in theory. As long as you get your work done, you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. In practice though, my transition to an employee who worked from home and set my own boundaries was tough. My desk was in my bedroom in my apartment, so most days I would wake up at 8, roll over, brush my teeth and go straight to work. I would then proceed to get so wrapped up in e-mails and deadlines that all of a sudden it would be 4pm and I still hadn’t made a meal, I was starving, I hadn’t shopped, and I would end up eating the easiest thing I could find, which was usually an unhealthy option.
It hadn’t always been this way. Before I started working at Micro-Documentaries, I rode my bike both ways to work at a nonprofit, where with co-workers I could easily seek out healthy options for lunch. I wasn’t in awesome shape, but I wasn’t house-bound and inactive either. I loved my new job at Micro-Documentaries, loved the company, the projects, and the clients, but a year in it dawned on me that my relationship with work had become truly unsustainable: I was working all the time and leaving no time for my body and my health. I had put on more than 40 pounds. Something had to change.
Rather than give up a job I loved, I resolved to set better boundaries and get healthy as fast as I could. This took far more than just saying it — we’ve all made New Year’s resolutions that get tucked back into their closets come February 1. Instead, I started working out with a trainer every day at 8 in the morning. Back home, I bought a yoga ball to sit on instead of a chair and started standing during phone calls. On lunch breaks, I would walk down to the grocery store to get fresh fruit and vegetables so that I would have access to healthy food. I got a dry erase board to write out all of my social and workout plans for the week along with my goals and inspiring quotes to keep me motivated.
A year later the results have been life changing. I’ve lost 52 pounds. More importantly, I’ve discovered a passion that I didn’t know I had. On the side of my work with Micro-Documentaries I’m working to getting my personal training and nutrition certification so that I can provide affordable access to information and training, which is shockingly expensive.
I suppose some of my transformation would have been possible without extreme flexibility, but certainly having the ability to shape my day and set my priorities really set me free to change my life. Sure, it was the source of some of my challenges to begin with, but more so it turned out to be the answer to help me get healthy and more disciplined in terms of how I live my life, things that I’m extremely grateful for.
In case you’re interested in my weekly routine now, you’ll find it below. I’m happy to offer any advice if you have questions. You can reach me at: jacqueline@micro- documentaries.com
Jacqueline’s Weekly Routine
Monday – Friday
-Wake up at 6am and head to gym for High Interval Intensity Training, weight lifting, cardio and sauna time!
-Smoothie for breakfast
-Begin work at 9am
-Lunch around 1pm
-End work around 7pm
-Dinner
Saturday
-3-6 mile run
-yoga
Daily Goals / Challenges
-60 on 60: at the top of every hour, standing up and doing 60 of something (squats, jumping jacks, crunches, planks, anything to get the blood flowing if I’m not already moving around)
-aim for 10,000 steps each day
-15 minute ab challenge during lunch & 10 minutes of yoga before bed