The Secret to Finding Balance in Life
The Secret to Finding Balance in Life
The biggest secret to finding balance in life is to accept that balance doesn’t always mean things are equal day in and day out. It really means that you can, most of the time, achieve your goals in life regardless if it’s about home or work. Achieving that balance in life takes an understanding of yourself, of others, and the ability to set goals and make schedules and plans that help you reach your goals.
Know Your Life Values and Priorities
It’s almost impossible to make choices when you don’t even know what your values or and due to that, don’t know what’s important. Take the time to create a life mission statement or purpose statement so that you can always look to that in any given situation to help guide your choices.
Practice Setting SMART Goals
Creating realistic goals is an essential skill. The easiest way to think about goal setting is to use SMART goals. You can learn about SMART goals by reading about them on Wikipedia, or on your favorite how-to site. In short you want to create detailed goals with specific metrics. You’ll need to ensure every goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Also, ensure that any goal fits in with your values and priorities of life.
Set Boundaries and Nurture Yourself
If people are always asking for more, it’ll be hard to balance your life. Take the time to learn to say no if you have no reason to say yes. Also, learn to put yourself first in terms of your health. Eat right, exercise, and get to your yearly appointments because if you’re not healthy, it’s hard to do well in life.
Organize and Plan
Don’t underestimate the value of organizing and planning. When you take the time to really get your life organized both mentally and physically, the idea of balance becomes suddenly much more possible and likely. Get out that calendar and write down everything you want to and need to do in life including personal and work. Put it all in one calendar so that you can truly control your time.
Put Family First
When you do start scheduling the things you need to do, when that calendar is still blank, fill it in with your family activities and responsibilities first. It’s more important to go out on a date with your spouse than it is to work overtime unless you are running out of money and need the money. Otherwise, put the family and fun before everything else and work around that.
Expect Roadblocks to Occur
The tricky part of balance is that you cannot always account for everything. As they say, you don’t know what you don’t know. But your mindset will play a massive role in how you deal with those roadblocks. Create flexibility in your schedule so that it won’t impact your life as much and make you feel off-balance.
Practice Positivity
The more you can practice a positive mindset, the more you’ll feel like you have balance in your life even during the times, and it will happen, that you feel anything but balanced. Keep a positivity journal and write down three things you’re grateful for each day to help.
Use Your Calendar Religiously
Don’t underestimate the power of a good calendar. If you compartmentalize your life and give yourself enough time to do each of the things you’ve determined are essential for your balanced life, all of it will be much more likely to happen. If you just go at life without a plan, you’re less likely to finish anything.
Let Go of Toxic People and Things
Toxic things and people in your life will ruin your balance. This includes mean people, but it also includes food, drugs, and activities that are not good for you to do. For each person, this will be different, and it takes self-awareness to come to the right conclusion.
Stop Multitasking
Whether you realize it or not, no one can multitask. Study after study shows that we only think we can multitask. This is important to know as you create your schedules in your calendar for the tasks you want to do each day to work toward the goals you set. Don’t watch TV while you’re reading, don’t do data entry while you’re watching TV, don’t spend fun time with your spouse while you’re reading emails on your phone. One thing at a time will work best to maintain balance.
Ask for and Get Help
You cannot do everything on your own. No one can. Ask for and get help in the areas you need it without apology. Your spouse, your kids, your friends (or someone you hire) can and should help you get things done so that you have more balance in your life. No one is alone on an island.
Finding balance in your life simply requires that you are open to setting attainable goals properly, creating a realistic schedule, and being committed to following it, to reach the goals you set.
