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Sarah Anderson, Bockstael Construction "Knowing and Deciding Your Priorities"

Writer's picture: Knew HouseKnew House

Updated: Oct 18, 2023


MEMBER SPOTLIGHT


Sarah Anderson is part of the fourth generation of family business at Bockstael Construction, where she’s been the Business Development Manager for three years. The 111 year old company specializes in construction management services for projects in healthcare, multi family housing, commercial construction and has built or renovated many of Winnipeg’s most notable structures.

Sarah is a locally born and raised Winnipegger, and loves to travel and wander new cities and landscapes; and especially loves exploring a city through food. She is married with two kids aged 4 and 8.





Do you have routines that you follow daily? If so, what are they? How do they help you amid your busy life? No – I hate routines! Or rather I hate doing the same thing day after day. That being said, I do go through phases where I find them helpful. At times over the last couple years, I’ve created different routines or rituals that helped me and I use them to fall back on when in need. For example, there are times where I wake up early every weekday to have coffee in the dark/at sunrise and read a fiction book, or do breathing exercises if I’m really stressed. Or, have a hot shower as soon as I come home from work to destress and get into the headspace I want to be in at home. Other times, it’s stretching and moving at least a tiny bit every day. Sometimes I crave more structure and routine in my life, because it can get quite chaotic with my spouse’s shiftwork, but I also know that I only like routine and structure, so I have something to push up against… and maybe break 😊


Do you believe there is a secret to having work-life balance? I think it starts with knowing and deciding your priorities. Everyone has to make tradeoffs in life in terms of what they want – that’s how I look at it these days. Sometimes we have full decision-making power over which tradeoffs we want and other times, we don’t. I heard a great comment made in an interview recently by an interior designer and printshop owner, Jenny Komenda. She spoke about family and business and all the balls people need to juggle, but that some of those balls are glass, and some are plastic. You need to know which one is which and don’t let the glass ones fall and break.


After a long day at work, and with your kids, how do you unplug? In today’s world, do you think it’s even possible? Again, I go through phases with this too. Right now, I feel it’s very hard to unplug. I catch myself up late on my phone and in times when I intended to go read a book or just sit and think or unwind. I find it hard – also because part of my work involves managing social media, it’s even harder. The best way I’ve found is to have a long, hot shower cause I can’t have my phone in there! I also sometimes take a longer way home via the perimeter and I find just seeing the open space and fewer stops helps me unwind.


When you’re heading into a busy week, what do you do to best prepare? Do you have any rituals, routines, or methods that set you up for a successful week ahead? As a first step, my husband and I do a Sunday check in so we can prepare for the week ahead at a household management level. This really helps me wrap my head around my priorities and commitments for the week, both at work and at home.


How do you keep yourself motivated every day, and how do you keep your team and colleagues motivated around you? I get most excited about the next thing I get to work on, so I find it hardest to stay motivated when things feel repetitive or when there’s just a lot going on. When that happens, I remind myself that these things are cyclical and there’s an end. But when it gets to a point that it doesn’t seem to end, that’s usually a signal that a change needs to happen.

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