Robin Arzón is Peloton’s Head Coach and VP of Fitness. At home, she is the mother of one-year-old Athena. In between, she’s done everything from writing New York Times bestsellers to collaborating with companies on chic sunglasses, glamorous nurseries and fabulous jogging babies car, as well as tackling marathons and ultramarathons.
You might think that Arzón juggles all these different passions and responsibilities by practicing the vague concept of balance preached by many influencers and celebrities. But really, balance is not in Arzón’s vocabulary—she’s proud of it.
“I think our current understanding of balance means that 24 hours a day or a week we will give the same percentage of focus, attention and effort to every area of our lives ,” Arzón told SELF. “It’s a harmful concept because there will be weeks or seasons, it’s simply not possible.”
Instead, Arzón says, priorities become key.
“I think prioritizing a short list that aligns with our values and current goals – which will evolve over time – is a healthier approach, You can actually incorporate it into your calendar,” she said. And, in fact, it actually makes a lot of sense. Being a multi-hyphen doesn’t necessarily mean trying to do everything at once, but figuring out what needs to happen and when.
Here are Arzón’s top tips to filter out the noise and hone your purpose.
1. Be aware of your flow state.
You know those occasions where you are completely immersed in an activity and fully focused on the task at hand? This is called a flow state, or “in the zone,” and it’s important to be aware of when these moments occur. This way, you can hone your greatest passions and things that might deserve more of your attention and energy.
“Notice the moments of the day when you forget the time – in a good way, like not doom scrolling on social media – but when you’re really focused on the product , paper, spreadsheets, phone calls or creative work,” Arzón said.
You may find yourself entering these flow states when you do things you might consider to be your hobbies, rather than those that are part of your job. It’s okay, Arzón believes: “Our hobbies and passions often start with whispers and can, with the right circumstances and intentions, turn into rants.”
2. Create your own “Power Team”.
If you’re not experiencing these fluid moments, but you want to tap into your passions — or maybe develop and hone some — Arzón is a big advocate of journaling, vision boards , and even work with a life coach, if you can.
“I also like the idea of creating a strong team of people in your circle that you respect,” she added. “They could be people from different industries who can give you a little help. We know it’s very effective to have an accountability partner in the exercise space, but I think we can do that in business and relationships as well.”
3. Give all aspects of your identity room to develop.
Yes, Arzón is a new mom, but she’s also an athlete, businessman, wife, daughter, sister, and so much more. A multifaceted person, she refuses to be categorized and encourages others to pick and choose which parts of their characters need to shine more at certain times.
