Balancing the Grind with Lori Bolon, Interior Architect & Stylist

Lori Bolon is an interior architect & stylist, who has been working in the industry for close to 10 years, working across Sydney and London.

1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

I’m an interior architect and have been working in the industry for nearly 10 years now. Originally from Sydney, I moved to London last year and have really enjoyed working in a very different market.

I now run interior projects in both Sydney and London. You can view my projects and work on instagram @loribolon.

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

Alarm typically goes off at 6am and I always start the day with exercise. Whether is boxing (my current favourite), pilates, a run or yoga it’s important for me to wake up and train before the busy day starts.

I usually start work at 8am and currently have been working long hours due to clients in different time zones. I try to break the week up. I typically spend Wednesdays and/or Thursdays out on the road visiting new suppliers, sourcing products for upcoming projects and creating relationships with emerging artists, products and suppliers.

It’s super important to create and nurture these relationships and ensure I’m engaged in the design industry.

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

Having worked for myself for quite a while I have been able to enjoy a flexible work environment. This is definitely a perk of running your own business, creating a schedule that works for you.

I definitely enjoy this luxury of flexible working though it does require more discipline. Pre-Covid I would always ensure I spend some days working outside the office and sit in a local cafe even if it’s just for my morning coffee and to write a to-do list for the day.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

This is definitely something I honestly have to say I have struggled to define in my professional life. As a passionate designer and someone who loves their work I have a habit of always saying yes to projects.

Loving what you do means working is never a burden but it does mean there is no down time or weekends off. Whilst I do work hard almost always I every now and again take of an afternoon and do something good for me like enjoying an afternoon yoga class, having a massage or going for an ocean swim.

It’s those small moments that make such a big difference and allow me to refuel.

5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

Certainly with Covid there have been lots of changes to routine or should I say lack of routine. Covid isolation definitely challenged my very routine lifestyle and taught me to have a more flexible approach.

During lock down it was super important to create some routines to break up the day and keep things interesting. Creating a schedule for work, exercise, meditation and walks broke the days up and created some structure to an otherwise very unstructured time.

6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

I recently finished the book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle which was super powerful and would highly recommend everyone to read. During such uncertain and difficult times this book provided comfort and perspective.

7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?

In terms of gadgets and products there aren’t any I particularly use frequently enough that I can’t live without. I’ve started to use a heart rate monitor for training which has been super interesting to track but other than that I’m not much of a gadget person.

For apps my favourite would easily be Pinterest as it provides my daily source of inspiration.

8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

I don’t think there is one particular person that comes to mind as there are so many people who we can draw inspiration from in different ways.

If I had to, however, pick one person it would be Oprah Winfrey. Her commitment to work and dedication to projects outside of work are a true inspiration. Finding the time to achieve all she did is truly remarkable.

9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

I think this relationship is forever changing and evolving with our life and commitments at the time. Be kind to yourself and accept we can’t have and do it all at once.

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