Achieving Balance

1/17/2020

Are you feeling a little off balance? Here are 7 super-duper easy tips to get back on track!
Whether you think you are in balance or out of balance, you’re totally right! One person’s balance is another person’s chaos and vice versa.

It all comes down to how you feel about how you are spending your time and how much you enjoy what you are doing. If you enjoy your job and can’t wait to get to work each day, then you’re going to WANT to give it more time and attention. If you hate your job, dread going to work and constantly wish you weren’t there when you are, then you’re going to want to give it less time and attention. You might even want to search for a new job, unless you can find a way to change how you feel about it.
Life balance is just as much or MORE about how you FEEL about what you’re doing as it is the amount of time you’re spending doing it. In my previous post titled Is Your Life Out Of Balance, I came up with a definition of life balance that works for me. Of course you’ll have your own definition, but this is one that worked for me. I think, “a balanced life allows one the opportunity to give each part of their life the amount of time and attention they deem appropriate and healthy.”
What do you deem appropriate and healthy? How do you want to spend your time? How do you want to feel throughout the day? And just as important, how do you want to feel at the end of the day? It might not be realistic to think that life should be one happy party all the time, but I’m going to assert that it should at least be pleasant.

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So how do we get there from where we are today?
Before we get all stressed out about how to be in balance, which totally defeats the purpose in the first place – let’s take it one step at a time. Last week’s blog challenge was all about observing your day to day life to find where you might be out of balance. This week we’re going to build on that to start to make some small and simple shifts.

Simple things we can do to bring balance into our lives

Recognize and get real. Recognizing that your life is out of balance takes some guts and you might not like what you find. BUT it’s the first step toward changes that can bring you back into balance. So dream big – notice where you’re out of balance and begin to imagine what being in balance would look and feel like.
Identify areas that need improvement. Get specific, write down what you’ve got too much of. Then note what you don’t have enough of. Too much time commuting? Not enough time to walk your dog? Good – write it down!

Consider your body rhythms. Are you the type that can solve all of the world’s problems between 8 and 10am? Or are you kinda foggy until noon? You know your rhythms better than anyone else. Balancing your life around your natural rhythms to make the best use of your time during the day just makes sense and can double your productivity to get things checked off your to-do list and back to having fun!
Stop procrastinating. No matter how much you DON’T want to do something, it doesn’t change the fact that it has to be done. When you HAVE to do things you don’t want to do, don’t waste time. Jump in with both feet and get it done.

Make one small change. If all this talk about life balance is starting to freak you out, remember, it’s okay to make one small change at a time. Maybe just leaving the office at 5:00 instead of 5:20, or deciding to go in early to cut 20 minutes off of your commute time or hiring someone to clean your house, or not turning on the TV after you put the kids to bed. Whatever it is, one small change can free up just enough time for you to add something you’d prefer to do instead. Small changes add up and help you feel successful and in control of your schedule.

Find support. Do you feel like the changes you’d like to make won’t be supported by friends, family or co-workers? Find someone you can count on to back you up and support you while you go through the process of bringing your life back into balance. Remember only you know when you are in or out of balance, make sure to surround yourself with people who will applaud your efforts to change.

Change your mind, change your life. If happiness is a state of mind, can we just decide to be happy? Of course we can, it just depends on how you look at things. Just like deciding what you want in your life, you get to decide how you feel about it too. If there are certain things you must do, you can do them with a bad attitude or a good attitude. You are free to decide how you want to feel about… well, pretty much everything in life. So be grateful for the good stuff and learn to accept the rest.

Life is a journey -- Which road do you want to take?

Having a balanced life isn’t something we achieve and mark off a list. It’s something we strive for every day. Some days will be more balanced than others, some weeks will be more balanced than others and that’s just how it goes. By continuing to access where we are and making small adjustments as needed we can get closer to a state of balance.
Challenge:How many of the seven items above can you incorporate this week? Try implementing just one or two of them and see how it goes. I can’t wait to hear from you! Please leave your feedback and comments below.
Next week:We explore ideas for making radical and lasting change with even more tips and another challenge.