Achieving Balance in Your Life

Finding balance in your life can be difficult to do, especially during these stressful days. There's family and work obligations, plus extra-curricular activities for your kids and unexpected situations. It's no wonder that you're feeling out of balance and overwhelmed! 

There are things you can do to achieve balance in your life. Below are great starting points to get you on the road to a well-balanced life.

1. Start using a central calendar for every member of your family. 

This calendar can be a shared calendar online using Google Calendar, or it can be a paper calendar stuck on the fridge. Either way, have each family member write their activities on the calendar and be sure to include the time, location and mode of transportation. This way nothing gets missed and you can plan your schedule accordingly. 

If there are conflicting activities, this is a good time to teach your family about compromises and the give and take in relationships. There are ways to work things out and a little lesson in selflessness never hurt anyone.

2. Take a look at your daily routine. Are there activities you can cut out to make your life more balanced?

In this society of rush-rush, convenience, and got-to-have-it-all or do-it-all, you may be feeling overwhelmed by all the extracurricular activities you're involved in. As you look at each activity, ask yourself:

* Is this activity necessary for my well being?
* Can I live without being involved in this activity?
* Is this improving my life or is this overwhelming me?
* Is this helping others or is it purely for self-gratification?
* Is this going to help me achieve my career, family, and personal goals?

The answers to these questions will help you clean up your schedule and continue to enjoy the things that are really important to you and your family.

3. Establish a daily routine. 

Routines help us stay on task and get things done without procrastination. Without a daily routine, you tend to wander aimlessly, instead of engaging in tasks that take you down the right path toward your goals.

If you work from home, it's easy to wander away from your daily routine because you can set your own schedule, so it's especially important to have a routine and work diligently at sticking to it. Whether you work out of the home or you're a stay at home mom or dad, a daily schedule is vital. Following an agenda will help you achieve your daily, monthly, and yearly goals.

4. Set goals for yourself, your family and your career. 

Without goals, you have nothing to work for and you'll feel lost without purpose.  Talk about making things feel out of balance! Some worthwhile goals to reach for might be:

* Losing weight
* Starting your own business 
* A new house
* A new car
* Establishing a budget and sticking to it
* A pay raise
* A promotion
* Learning a new skill or trade
* Writing a book

Those are just a few ideas to get you started thinking about all the possibilities available to help you achieve more balance in your life.

Balance in life is something that requires constant attention and resilience. Don't let the busyness of life get in the way of living your life to the fullest. You can accomplish it when you work at it. Keep trying and you'll be amazed at the stability that comes your way.
