SIMPLE GUIDE TO FINDING YOUR BALANCE

by: Remie Longbrake | published: March 1, 2020

We all want balance in our life and more enjoyment. We live busy, often complicated lives. Many of us have families to support, bills to pay, and jobs to work in. It’s difficult to find time and balance to get everything done and still have the energy to spend time with our loved ones. I see too often that family comes last, after the job, business, and other priorities. Of course that’s when trouble happens.

The problem is we are told that balance needs to be this perfect 50/50. I hate to break it to you, but that is only wishful thinking. Unless you are already independently wealthy, you are spending a lot of that time in your job and commute.

About 85% of the people I talk to say they do not even enjoy their work. Worse yet that work drains the energy and often relationships suffer. Perhaps you’re one of the 15% that do enjoy your work, if so that’s great, but how do you spend your time so you can be more balanced?

The main problem is that we focus too much on one area. That is usually our work life. More often then not, paying bills is the number one concern. Our family and our health should be number 1, but stress consumes us and we end up giving up our time and energy doing things that are not meaningful over what is.

Some important life topics I cover and I hear often include: Health, Financial, Career, Relationship, & Spirituality. Some secondary ones can include: Recreation, Learning, Servitude, Networking & Value. Obviously, there’s a lot going on in our lives. You may prioritize each one differently and add your own as you see fit.

With all these life topics it’s very hard to achieve perfect balance between them all. It really is give and take. The key is however, to be completely “there” within each moment. To not “space out” and be thinking about work while at home with family.

So how do you prioritize? Plan your days and weeks out. I actually have a 5 year plan, start there and work backwards. I keep an electronic calendar that is one my phone. It sync to my email which is nice, but also I get real time data and can easily add and change appointments from the palm of my hand.

It’s also important however, to stay in communication with not only work appointments but home life too. For activities outside of those I also put in my calendar. I’ve certainly been guilty of double appointments before and that’s no fun. What is also no fun is explaining to your loved ones that you’ll miss another get together, so it is crucial to make time for them!

Do what you love! For one it is important to love what you do. Life is too short to not enjoy your work. Your work should be an extension of who you are. When you are out of balance, you are actually out of character, and this can affect everything around you, most importantly your relationships.

Determine what success looks like. What do you want to achieve? Did you know only about 1% actually write down what they want? That is crazy! Just like a roadmap, how are we supposed to find our way, without some sort of plan? If you want success, you must plan, simple as that.

Stop listening to outsiders opinions on how to live your life. Know what you want and what is important for your immediate family. Stop being swayed by negativity and influences that do not line up to your own. This is why it’s important to know what you want. Others will try to take your time and especially your money. If you have your values written down and know then by heart, you can eliminate a lot of time from people who want your attention and attempt to dictate your life.

Listen to you heart and your body. Know what is important to you. Also, if you start to get run down, take some time out. We should know what our limits are, and it is crucial to take breaks each day and each week. Know what you need, but also know what energizes you so you can come back ready to go.

I hope these steps have helped you understand how important balance should be. It’s not really about having equal time, but to be committed to each moment and love what you do.