Albert Einstein once said, "life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." Trying to manage every important aspect of your life might sometimes make you feel like your bicycle is traveling downhill and the brakes have quit. Balancing your commitments at work and home can be extremely stressful, but some simple tips can help put you in control of your busy life and help you regain your sanity.
Figure Out Where the Time Goes
The first step is to find out where your time goes each day. If you take the time to write down everything you do in a day, you may be surprised where your time goes. Research shows that the most successful dieters keep journals of the food they eat, and the same theory applies to busy people who need more time. You may discover that your time is disappearing to some surprising places. By tracking your day, you might be able to find the places where you can reduce your daily workload and other activities that nibble away at your time.
Stop Feeling Guilty for Saying "No"
You may have learned to say "no," but getting over the guilt is part of the process. Saying "no" to extra obligations won't cause your family to stop loving you, and your job will still need your valuable skills. Yes, someone has to be there to pick up the slack, but that someone doesn't always need to be you. When it is time to tell someone that you can't organize the school carnival, go to work on Saturday, or drive your neighbor's dog to the vet, remind yourself of all the times you have said "yes." Reassure yourself that you are still a giving person and team player, but remember, every time you say "no" to extra tasks or responsibilities, you are ensuring that you will remain healthy and focused enough to be valuable to the important people in your life.
Pencil Yourself into Your Calendar
All people require personal time to maintain their sanity and productivity. The only way to ensure that you will get this time is if you schedule it into your day or week, and you must treat that appointment with yourself as if it was any other important obligation. Explaining that you can't stay late at work because you have an important personal appointment isn't a lie. Scheduling in that exercise class, foreign film, or early bedtime after a stressful week is important. When your physical and mental health are lacking, your ability to be a good employee, parent, or super hero is greatly diminished. The people in your life actually benefit by you taking the time to relax and refresh; therefore, taking care of yourself is not selfish or unimportant.
Don't Expect Perfection
An unmade bed, dish in the sink, or unfinished project in the garage never killed anyone. Occasionally dropping the ball on minor responsibilities is an important concession for being there for others during major events. No one will care if the lasagna came from the freezer section or if a file is left on your desk at the end of the day. Some tasks need to be done perfectly, like heart surgery, important presentations, or repairing the electrical wiring in your home. However, most of the things we do in a day don't actually require perfection. Yes, there is a sense of satisfaction when your DVDs are arranged alphabetically, but it isn't a requirement. Accept that it is okay if tasks at work are sometimes postponed, and chores at home are occasionally neglected. The opportunity to do the work will be there tomorrow, but life is short, and you can never guarantee that you will be around for another day.
Delegate Tasks
After accepting that most things don't need to be perfect, you will no longer need to control every single task. If you find yourself amazed at how often your home needs cleaning, it is likely that the rest of your household is contributing to the messes you find. Figure out ways for chores to be divided equally. The next time a project is assigned to you at work, consider asking if someone else could assist, or suggest that a specific person be brought into the project because of his or her specialized skills.
Try Positive Multitasking
Multi-tasking can actually cause additional stress and decrease productivity. So, while it is important not to combine making blackberry pie with sending emails on your Blackberry, there are some tasks that can be paired to actually increase your sense of accomplishment and fuel your inner peace. Consider listening to audio books during your commute. You can catch up on the bestsellers list while sitting in stop and go traffic. When taking the time to exercise, consider pairing your power walk with the phone call to that long-lost friend you have been meaning to call. Successful positive multi-tasking only occurs when value is added to an activity by combining it with another task.
Protect Your Free Time
Do whatever it takes to keep your unscheduled time free from obligations that are no-fun. If the project will require overtime, try to spread it out during the week, rather than going into work on the weekend. Make sure that household chores mostly get done during the week, so that you can enjoy activities and adventures with your favorite people during the weekend. Your day off shouldn't be spent on tasks that don't bring joy into your life.
It is difficult for everyone to find balance in their lives. However, finding balance doesn't mean that your life is always perfectly centered, sometimes there has to be a little give and take. Just like when riding a bicycle, sometimes you might wobble a little bit or even tip over in your search for balance, but as long as you keep moving and pay attention to the world around you, you can stay balanced and enjoy the beautiful ride.