17 questions for... Bartłomiej Polakowski, Senior Learning Architect at Amazon

For me, work life balance means... avoiding being dominated by work. Even if the profession we perform is our dream job, we should devote an appropriate amount of time and attention to family, friends and our passions.

I feel like people work harder to earn more, but then they don't have time to spend that money. It's a loop, and work life balance is a way to get out of it.

My most important daily health habits are... first of all, water - with which I start my day and it speeds me up well. Secondly, physical activity. Not only the planned ones, such as personal training or running, but also the natural ones - I take the stairs and if I can walk further to the bus stop, I am happy to do it to get moving. Thirdly, avoiding junk food and limiting sweets and alcohol, but if I feel like having a glass of wine, I allow myself to have it on the weekend.

When taking care of my health, it is also important for me to maintain a good atmosphere at home. Let us remember that a poor mental state has a negative impact on our physicality.

The sports I practice regularly are... two personal training sessions a week and running, in which I focus on pace, not long distances. I run up to 15 km, but I often follow what my digital trainer in the watch tells me.

I also have a small son who provides me with additional daily activities: running on a bicycle, playing on the playground and on climbing frames, and going for walks.

I spend about 4 hours a week on physical activity .

My motivation for sports comes from... gadgets, a mirror and competition. I have a group of friends with whom we race and when I see them doing something, I automatically find time to move as well.

I was never familiar with meditation and I wasn't convinced about it. I'm addicted to new technologies and dynamic life, so it's hard for me to sit still for long. When I struggle with stress, I trust medical technologies, such as dietary supplements. Then I am convinced that someone has tested them and has evidence that regular use will bring a specific effect.

My diet is based on... no diet. My grandmother raised me to be a typical cutlet eater and I'm not a fan of purely plant-based meals, but my perception of this topic has changed. I watched a documentary about athletes who switched to a plant-based diet. I tried it and it turned out that I really like meat substitutes. Thanks to this, my meals are more diverse, I can limit the consumption of meat, and I supplement what I cannot get through diet with appropriate supplementation.

I end the day by… browsing Linkedin and participating in online discussions. In the world of new technologies, things happen 24/7 and when we have time to sleep, in the United States people only leave the office and can react to publications. If I have something interesting to share, I often do it in the evenings.

I spend… about 7 hours sleeping . Since my son was born, I have started to appreciate naps. I used to associate them with old age, and now I include them in my weekend schedule. Sleep is very important to me. It's much easier to focus or have a good workout when I give myself the right amount of it.

Just for myself... I exercise, avoid junk food and constantly develop myself on the edtech market.

My little sins are… sweets and a smartphone, which is my biggest temptation. I like to check and stay up to date with what's new. Something always draws me to him...

Happiness for me is... family, friends and an empty beach in Jastarnia.

For me, luxury is... the same as happiness, but I look at this beach from the terrace in the Spa House. On the more mundane side, a 4-day work week was luxurious for me. In 3 days of the weekend you can regenerate properly and stop thinking about professional duties for at least one day.

My huge leaps in taking care of the planet are... primarily my professional activities that support the environment - thanks to online education, we travel less, save time and energy. I assume that 80% of training and meetings can be done remotely, which is a big contribution to caring for the environment. In addition, I drink filtered tap water, use public transport, and only use the car on the weekend if I need it.

The advice I would give my 20-year-old self again is... buy Amazon or Google stock! Then I probably wouldn't be giving this interview from the office, but from the terrace of the Spa House in Jastarnia.