We had the good fortune of connecting with Alejandra Marqués and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Alejandra, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Some people think that having work-life balance is impossible. I don’t blame them, it seems hard to achieve. But the truth is that we can absolutely have it when we learn how to own our time.
In the past, I was doing all the things, studying for 2 degrees (business management and law) at the same time, while working in a notary office, in a law firm, and in my family’s restaurant, while learning my 6th language and spending time with my loved ones.
If you think about it, I had both personal and professional life. But the feeling behind it was burnout. That’s when I knew I needed to find more balance and start taking care of myself, making myself my biggest priority.
After diving deep into personal development, I found it. I found balance.
At this point I was studying for 2 masters, working as a criminal law professor and project manager, while building my business, but I was spending more time than ever with my loved ones. And I must say, it was quality time.
When it comes to balance, it’s not about finding the perfect 50/50 and spending the same amount of time working and having personal time.
It is about finding the right proportions that make you feel happy and fulfilled.
It is about creating the time for the things that matter the most to you, and stop letting other people’s priorities come first, stop letting your schedule run you.
I’ve seen my clients go from not taking a vacation in 3 years, to taking time off without feeling guilty and completely unplugging during vacation. From struggling to thriving. From burned out to unstoppable. And I know that having balance is way easier than most people think, you only need someone to help you see the way.
What should our readers know about your business?
I always knew I wanted to have my own business and create an impact on the world and the people I love. When I started my business I wanted to help people increase their productivity and become better at time management because I saw the power it had in goal achievement.
However, I soon discovered that my true passion was empowering others, especially women, to have balance and creating the time for the things that actually matter the most to them, instead of just following the go-go-go mindset and the hustling.
Time is our most precious and limited resource and a lot of people have the limiting belief that they “don’t have time”. I love working not only on giving tools and strategies to increase productivity but also diving deeper and doing mindset and inner work so they can start seeing things differently, so they can stop feeling like a victim and start gaining back their power and their time. One of the things I always guarantee is that by following my unique T.I.M.E. Formula you can gain back at least 1 hour per day. Imagine what you could do with 7 hours a week, 30 hours per month… that would be a full 2-week vacation compounded over a year. Trust me when I say you do have time!
I had to overcome my own challenges to get to the point where I am today, limiting beliefs, redefining what success meant to me, and overcoming perfectionism, while also keeping being a high achiever and always having big dreams.
If there’s one thing I always love sharing is that you don’t need to set smaller goals in order for you to have it all. Keep dreaming big! Don’t get discouraged by what other people think or say, keep following your vision and your passion. You can live your dream life and have time for all the things you love. It doesn’t have to be hard, in fact, it can be quite simple.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I know it might sound cliché but spending a nice day walking by the beach is definitely a must when you visit LA.
Spending a whole day in Malibu, enjoying the sun, or getting up early, driving to Venice beach, and walking barefoot on the sand all the way to Santa Monica and beyond. Watching the sunset and being grateful for enjoying the unplugging time. I’m a big fan of Smoothies so we’ll go drink some tropical one while chatting!
Sunsets are my favorites so we’ll definitely go check the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory for some great pictures together!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d love to give a huge shoutout to my business and PR mentor, Rebecca Cafiero. She saw my potential when I was starting and my life and my business completely changed in less than one year. She helped me not only with business strategy but also with a lot of mindset work. If there’s one thing I think everyone could learn from her is that we need to give ourselves permission to promote our businesses and our message, we need to be our biggest cheerleaders and show the world how much value we have to offer.
Website: https://alejandramarques.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alejandramarques_yourplana/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandramarquesmendez/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/productivityandbalance
Image Credits
Emily Huynh