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Posted @ 1/4/2010 9:41 AM By Elise
Time for setting and implementing your New Year’s Resolutions! Here is one for you – finding a balance in your life. It either seems that we spend too much time focused on work, or too much time focused on everything but what we want to focus on, and feel overwhelmed and do nothing well. We get into survival mode, and just tread water throughout our days and weeks, and then we wonder where the year went. This year let your time become yours. You can do this by balancing your life.
A great balance would mean that you are very successful at work/stay at home parent, and you feel like you have activities and a life outside of work. You feel like you are at your peak health. You are happy with your appearance. You feel like you look the best, and feel the best that you ever have, mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. If you don’t feel balanced in all of these areas, take a moment to access why.
Start by writing down what you do everyday, or look at your calendar from last year, and see where your time went. If it all baffles you, ask yourself if you are proactive in your life, or are you reactive? Do you have your schedule under control, and get all of the things that you need to do to run your household efficiently in a timely manner? If you do, then you will be able to fit in your other “extra” activities, such as seeing your friends more, doing volunteer work, and taking up a fun hobby. If not, then you will never seem to get ahead of your schedule, and will put out fires all day long.
Becoming proactive is easier than you think. It just takes a little organization. Take the time to write down what you need to do to get your day to day tasks done. Evaluate how you can save time with these tasks. It could be as simple as setting up your bills to be automatically paid online, to switching to the dry cleaners on the way to work. How about taking 15 minutes every Sunday night to look at your family’s schedules, plan out your meals for the week, then make a list to go to the grocery store the same day each week? It could be simple tasks such as this to make your life simpler and smoother.
Write down all of the things that you want to start doing, and see how you can fit them into your current life. For example, you want to start working out again on a regular basis, and you want to see your friends more often. Be realistic about your tasks. Don’t try to go to a 5:00 am Yoga class if you know you like to sleep until 7:00. Instead, find a realistic time that you are already awake, and find a friend that you can do it with, who will keep you accountable. Maybe start by walking for 30 minutes, then work up to an hour, and then slowly incorporate jogging. Not only will you both get a good workout, but you will spend time with one another. You are now adding in two things that are on your list.
Be realistic about your time, your expectations, and take baby steps into everything that you are trying to do. Finding a balance over night will not happen, so make changes slowly throughout the year.