17 questions for... Beata Stelmach, Non-Executive Director at Bank Millennium

For me, work life balance is... the ability to plan my calendar the way I want. Nowadays, private life intertwines seamlessly with professional life.

My most important daily health habits are…

• My priority is sleep. If I know that a task would take longer at the expense of not getting enough sleep, I put it off until tomorrow. When you open your eyes in the morning, you immediately know how the whole day will go, and if your body is not rested, you're bound to be in a bad mood.
• Physical and mental hygiene - I never go to bed without removing my makeup.
• Diet and regular sports.

The sport I practice regularly is... the gym or jogging outdoors, which allows me to literally clear my head. Although there are many more daily sports plans than practical activities, I try not to neglect this activity, but there must always be time for skiing in the winter and sailing in the summer.

I spend… 5 – 10 hours a week on physical activity . When my schedule is tight and I'm short on time, even a quick walk is important.

My motivation for sports is... not to let time pass too quickly and the desire to stay in good shape and figure for as long as possible. The head and body correspond to each other - because physical discomfort causes a lack of willingness to do anything.

I don't meditate because... I can't. However, an hour of swimming alone, in the lake, in the summer from 5 a.m., is my form of meditation. I won't give it up for anything.

My diet is… varied. I try to remember not to pollute my body. I think about what I eat, but I can't resist delicious cake or chocolate ice cream.

I don't have an evening ritual, but... I try not to waste any minute before bed. I don't like to delay the moment when I wrap myself up to my ears in the duvet. A comfortable pillow is very important to me.

The truth is that many of us check messages or e-mails before going to sleep, and maybe something important has appeared at the last minute - I advise against it to everyone, although I fall into this addiction myself.

I spend… about 7 hours sleeping .

The thing I do only for myself is... I try to start the day as early as possible, long before the rest of the household wakes up. The morning is only for me.

My little sins are... allowing myself to do something secret from others, but I won't tell anyone about it.

Happiness for me is... the sum of small happinesses. I can be happy for a few seconds, looking at a beautiful view or enjoying the joy of others. My life motto is carpe diem! It is not worth wasting time on unimportant matters. But I also often think that we don't help others enough. The last few months have brought us all down to earth, war, pandemic, inflation... You just need to look around to see those who can easily bring at least a little happiness.

For me, luxury is... the ability to act on your own terms, regardless of the surroundings or material comfort. Luxury can be anywhere, just close your eyes and think that this is a place and a moment designed just for me.

My daily steps in taking care of the planet are… today, every step should be with the planet in mind. Starting from sorting garbage, through conscious choice of means of transport, and ending with walking on the beach, picking up an abandoned can and throwing it into a nearby bin. But when I tell a taxi driver to turn off the engine while waiting at a taxi stop, I don't always see a friendly look in his eyes.

Our generation has not sufficiently developed pro-ecological habits; In the past, caring for the environment was primarily an element of good upbringing, and today, protecting the planet is the mission of each of us.

The advice I would give myself if I were 20 again is... don't always try to be the top student, don't prove at all costs that you can, that you can and that you can do it. Failures happen, you just have to be able to learn the right lesson. Sometimes it's worth listening to good advice from others.

The podcast I recommend is... Polityka Insight offers a large library of podcasts in the area of ​​new technologies. I am fascinated by how fast the world is changing using artificial intelligence. It's worth keeping up with these changes.