#24 Balance

The last few weeks were overwhelming. As I write this, I realize it's been one month since I was riding with Mathieu van der Poel in beautiful Spain. That feels like an eternity ago—almost another reality.

In this newsletter, I want to share how I'm trying to maintain balance in my life. It's not easy and perhaps never will be perfectly balanced, but I've learned some valuable lessons along the way.

My Current Weekly Breakdown

To give you insight into what keeps me busy, here's a glimpse of my typical week:

📱 Building My Social Media Business (45h)

My 2024 goal is to create a thriving social media business where I produce reels for companies and help them grow on Instagram. After working as a Teamlead and Project Manager at an Online Marketing Agency, I took the leap into freelancing in 2023.

My business initially focused on website development and branding, but as my own Instagram grew, I discovered my passion for creating content for businesses. This year, I aim to help around 10 companies create compelling reels and grow their presence on Instagram or TikTok. I am still looking for businesses, so if you know someone, feel free to reach out!

Most of my time is spent as a creative director and connecting with potential clients. I have my own desk in a co-working space, which provides the perfect environment for this work.

🎬 Instagram Content Creation (8h)

What many of you know me for! Creating content for my Instagram takes roughly 8 hours weekly (excluding the actual cycling) between editing, networking, and brainstorming new ideas.

I find it incredibly rewarding to channel my creativity into these reels. Though I don't currently earn directly from Instagram, I view it as an investment in my cycling career that will pay dividends in the future.

🚴 Training (12-14h)

My weekly training schedule is structured and consistent:

• Mondays & Fridays: Gym sessions

• Tuesday through Thursday: Interval training

• Weekends: Longer rides

Training drains my energy, so I prioritize energy-intensive tasks before workouts. On weekend mornings, I clean my home before riding, knowing I'll lack the motivation afterward.

😴 Sleep (56h)

I've recently prioritized quality sleep more intentionally. Keeping my phone in another room has significantly improved my sleep quality. I aim for 8 hours nightly to support my active lifestyle.

👥 Friends & Relationships (0-4h)

This is an area I don't prioritize as much as others. I maintain contact with a few close friends, usually connecting every other week, but in-person meetups are challenging since most live in Leiden or Amsterdam.

I still attend events from my old fraternity—in fact, I have an upcoming gala where I'll be giving a speech.

As for romantic relationships, I've been single for 5 years as of today. I've dated occasionally but never for longer than a month. Finding a relationship is challenging with my high standards and limited time. While I sometimes envy couples and long for someone to share my life with, I'm trusting that the right relationship will develop in its own time.

👪 Family (6h)

Family remains a cornerstone in my life. I'm fortunate to have a supportive and close-knit family who live near Rotterdam. I often visit them for coffee during my rides.

My dad is also a cyclist, and we occasionally ride together (though it's been a while). Since I don't own a car, I borrow one from them when needed, which naturally brings me to their place regularly.

🏠 Life Maintenance (The remaining hours)

The necessities of life—cooking, groceries, watering plants, and cleaning—take up the rest of my time. I try to be as efficient as possible by meal prepping and doing a thorough house cleaning weekly.

How I Maintain Balance

To be honest, I remind myself that I can't do everything in life. In today's social media world, where everyone's highlight reels create serious FOMO, this perspective is crucial.

My dad once shared a powerful analogy: life is like a jar of rocks. You can fill it with both big and small rocks, but eventually, the jar becomes full. That's life—you choose which rocks (activities, relationships, goals) go in your jar, but inevitably, some must remain outside.

My goal is to live without regrets, to keep experiencing new things and meeting new people while being intentional about what I commit to.

The Power of Saying No

I believe the key to balance isn't starting things—it's knowing when (and having the courage) to stop things. It's about recognizing when your life feels out of alignment and being willing to cut out activities that no longer serve or fulfill you.

That said, there's an important caveat: you can't simply stop everything you don't feel like doing. If I stopped doing laundry because I didn't enjoy it, my life would quickly become chaotic!

Things -

• I really start to admire what the Chinese have done in the automotive industry. They took a bet on electric cars and are now launching amazing cars left and right. Look at this car from XPeng.

• Home update. As you might not know I am redesigning my home to make it fit more into my own workflows. This is what I have been doing (or will be doing)

  • Creating my own cabinet to put the Coffee machine on. Thinking about modding an IVAR cabinet from Ikea and painting it myself in a blue color.

  • About to buy this chair from Ikea, they have recently launched a new vintage collection which is just insane: Link

  • Building my own gym. I have a whole room where I will be putting gym equipment to save on the gym itself and make training a lot easier.

  • Putting in motion sensors to automatically turn on the lights. This is both time-efficient and saves electricity.

  • Install a dishwasher. I now have to wash all my dishes by hand, which is not bad but it is also something I slack on. And to be honest, I am not that good at. So in a few weeks a dishwasher will be installed.

• I sold my Canyon, which is in good hands now. It feels weird to sell something you have been enjoying so much, almost nostalgic. But that is how life goes, you have to let things go. I hope the Canyon gets to go on a lot of amazing adventures.

• I have been trying Beta-Alanine for a week now. It’s insane. I have not noticed anything insane but I the tingling feel from using it is a bit weird haha. Will be doing a newsletter on supplements soon.

• The new collection from Le Coffee Ride is live. It’s really cool to see them grow, as I have been catching up with Jeroen from Le Coffee Ride from time to time. Get the new collection on their website (it’s actually really good and cheap compared to other high-end brands)

• The experiences of become a so called ‘influencer’ are really interesting. I will also be sharing these soon. I think a behind the scenes is something that will be interesting to a lot of people. What actually happens and how I am constantly ON.

So that is it for this week. I want to wish you all some safe riding and loads of amazing days ahead. See you next month!