Hear from V Teamer Kenneth Fleming on the importance of work-life balance and tips to maintain a healthy balance between work and your personal life.
Two important aspects for supply chain supervisor Kenneth Fleming in both his personal and professional life are writing and work-life balance.
In addition to his #VerizonLife, Kenneth has a passion for writing - everything from poetry to short stories are his forte.
Catching the writing bug.
While he’s always been a writer at heart, the first time he remembers becoming really dedicated to his craft was in high school. During this time, he was an avid poet. His parents and community were a big source of motivation, always encouraging him to move forward with his writing.
He recalls one year when members of his church asked him to write a Father’s Day poem for the church bulletin. “Moments like that at such an early age fueled my writing in unexpected ways,” he said.
Moving on to bigger and better.
Eventually, he began exploring other genres, such as fiction. As a Morgan State University student, he balanced his studies and interests while supporting his passion for writing.
“Even though I was a business administration major and had never taken a creative writing course while at Morgan, I became the co-editor in chief of the university’s literary journal for two years,” Kenneth said. “And once I graduated from Morgan, that’s when I officially began my writing journey.”
As a V Teamer, Kenneth has been able to continue on his journey as a writer, using Verizon’s benefits, specifically tuition assistance, to earn a Master's degree in writing as well as a certificate in editing.
“Though there has been a lot of hustle outside of work to create these opportunities, without Verizon’s support early on, these experiences likely would not have happened.”
How to balance work and life.
As a supply chain supervisor, Kenneth is responsible for checking on the inventory health of his locations, as well as connecting with his team and removing any roadblocks in the process. While he’s a dedicated supervisor who loves working with his team, he knows the importance of work-life balance as it’s crucial to happiness both in and out of the workplace.
In 2022, Kenneth’s resolution is to prioritize work-life balance as he works toward meeting one of his biggest goals yet — finishing his novel.
“I learned last year that when I put too much pressure on myself, my brain goes, ‘Wait, wait, wait . . . NO!’ So now I’m just trying to work on setting incremental goals for myself,” Kenneth shared. “If I can do that, then I’ll have this book completed by the end of the year.”
So, what is a healthy work-life balance? For Kenneth, it’s all about peace of mind. His key work-life balance tips include setting daily goals for yourself, using project management software to help keep track of tasks, and doing your best to create a sustainable plan toward those goals.
Check-in with yourself throughout the day to make sure you are on track. And most importantly, give yourself grace and praise no matter how the day turned out.
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