The line between work and home used to be clearer. Now, with the constant demands of technology, it’s much harder to reach a healthy balance. However, unless you make an effort, you risk burnout, your relationships suffer, and your productivity – both at work and at home – sinks. With that, stress levels go up. Not good!
Tip #1: Banish the Superwoman image because she’s nothing but a myth, and you are real!
Tip #2: The first casualty when you’re out of balance is usually your own well-being. You’ll be tempted to gobble food, skimp on sleep, and skip exercise altogether. Those are precisely what you need to keep your stress level manageable, so make sure you respect your body by eating well, sleeping enough, and exercising.
Tip #3: Keep track of how you spend your time in fifteen-minute increments for one week. Yes, it sounds like a pain but it will make complete sense as you continue with the upcoming tips. Just keep a little notebook with you and jot down your activities through the day. If you miss an hour, don’t worry…simply pick up where you are and keep going.
Tip #4: Look at your notebook of the week’s activities. Write down categories, such as: work, children, spouse, church community, exercise, taking care of yourself, friends, etc. Add up time spent in each category. These numbers will give you a picture of how and where you spend not just your time but your LIFE.
Tip #5: Write down your top values in life. What’s most important to you? Family? Security? Travel? Creativity? Money? Beauty? Achievement? etc. Start with twelve. Highlight your top three. These are your core values and tell you where you should be investing your time and talents. What, your spouse is a top value, for example, but you only spent twenty minutes with him? Adjust!
Come back next week for tips 7 – 11. You CAN achieve a better balance in life.
by Kathleen Vestal Logan, MS, MA, April 10, 2019