Here are some practical things to do to help get your life back in balance. First acknowledge your feelings, now set priorities.
Over the course of last year, with the change of lifestyle brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, I came to realize that I needed a fundamental change. The exhausting cycle of relentless hours and the impact of a largely sedentary line of work on my health and wellbeing ultimately led to a decision to quit the corporate world and go it alone.
Now I'm my own boss and decide what work to take on and what to reject. Critically, I have life balance. I spend my time doing the things I enjoy most: choosing my work, spending more time with the people I love, and doing the things I enjoy most.
I used to live to work, but now I work to live.
Now, some may think this is an extreme way to find life balance. And some may not feel confident stepping out of full-time employment to achieve this. Whatever stage of your career, there are some things you can do to get your life in balance.
Get Your Life In Balance
When things get busy, and it seems like there’s no time left for the good things, listen to your body. It usually gives you some clear signals. You may feel stressed or a little overwhelmed. Or maybe you’re simply down in the dumps. I was weary. I’d taken on too much and left little time for myself and those I love.
Recognizing how you feel is the first step to putting things back in balance. The next step is to identify the things you can cut out of your life and the things you should continue doing.
The following 5 steps can help you achieve the right balance in your life.
Set priorities
Decide what is most important to you, what needs to be done first, and what can wait. You’ll soon realize that most things can wait, or that someone else could do many for you.
As soon as you grasp this, you’ll start feeling better. Prioritizing what’s important—creating space—is energizing! So look forward to making plans to help achieve your goal: getting your life in balance.
Set realistic goals
To start, set goals that you can see yourself achieving within a week, two weeks and a month. This means focusing on fewer tasks at any one time. Here is an example.
My Goals
- Hire interim staff by the end of next week to cover vacancies.
- Other than the things I enjoy, I will employ someone to do home improvements.
- Visit friends and family once a month.
- Honour some outstanding commitments and complete these within a month.
Schedule time for yourself
Getting the right life balance is much more than dividing your time between work (career and ambition) and life (health, leisure, and family.) It’s about living in the present: making the most of our time, our relationships, and how we feel about ourselves.
