Life has a way of getting off-kilter sometimes. It’s ridiculously tough to manage all the hats we have to wear and maintain our work-life balance. Think about it: how often do you find yourself working way too many hours at the office or spending all your spare moments on home projects then realizing you haven’t had contact with friends or loved ones for way too long?
When you notice your life is becoming off-balanced – with too much of one thing and not enough of another – it can be overwhelming and feel like an insurmountable problem. I know from first-hand experience as mompreneur that work-life balance certainly isn’t easy! When you feel your balance starting to teeter, here are a number of potential strategies to help you so you can regain your footing.
Work-Life Balance Checklist
How many of these strategies do you have in place? Are there any you could leverage a bit better to help with your work-life balance? Think of this as a checklist — really ALL of these are simple but important for maintaining alignment.
- Do you take part in a physical activity each day? Exercising your body helps you discharge stress and reflect on the current status of your life. It also allows you to slow down and be mindful of your body and its needs, which can is beneficial for both your physical and mental health.
- Have you established daily limits for how much you’ll work? For example, maybe you could try to set a limit of not working more than thirty minutes overtime on any given work day. This will discourage you from letting your work take over your life.
- How are you fostering emotional connections with your partner? Maintaining close ties with your romantic partner will help you assist you in rounding out your life. Emotional intimacy with your partner is key to a strong, healthy relationship.
- Are you comfortable with saying no? Accept that you’re unable to please everyone 100% of the time. This provides you with the freedom to do what you enjoy the most and can help you draw stronger, critical boundaries for yourself.
- Do you belong to a club or group of some kind? Consider joining the League of Outrageous Women, if not! Mingling with others who have shared interests brings a sense of excitement and wonder into your life. You can counter-balance time spent alone or working too much by joining a social gomenroup.
- Do you have at least one cause you believe in? Invest your energies into something that holds great importance to you and taps into the kind, caring, and active sides of your personality.
- Are you allowing yourself a few hours of alone time each week? Time alone to ponder how your life is going or to partake in your favorite activity helps keep you centered.
- What books are you reading? There’s still nothing greater than curling up on the couch or outside under a tree to read a book. Reading can be educational, entertaining, and relaxing.
- What music do you enjoy each day? You’ll feel a little bit of joy when you listen to your favorite tunes. Infusing some simple happiness, like a favorite song, into your day will counteract any negativity that’s trying to make its way in.
- What lessons can you take in something you’d like to learn? As you age, it’s imperative to continue learning new things. Plus it’s FUN!
- Have you chosen a skill or talent and work to excel at it? A healthy self-esteem is necessary if you want to keep your life in sync. You’ll feel good when you cultivate something you’re really great at.
- Do you have a handful of close friends? They’ll give you honest feedback and be there when you need them. Friends keep you grounded!
- Do you overwork and tend to burnout your nervous system? Do whatever is necessary to protect and preserve your balance. For some people, that means a little time off. You could even join other professional women on one of our retreats.
- How are you acknowledging what you’re grateful for each day? Take a few minutes each day to reflect on everything you’ve been blessed with. Recognizing the goodness in your life will keep you in touch with your incredible riches.
- Do you have a practice of prayer or meditation to find peace and calm in the morning? Maintain balance by creating your own sense of tranquility as each day begins.
- Are you inclined to help someone who needs it? Be willing to help someone requiring assistance, whether you know them or not.
- Are you afraid to ask for advice or help when you need it? Although it can be tough to reach out, when you do, you’ll feel the love and care that others have for you.
- How are you stepping out of your comfort zone? Your partner blindsides you and suggests taking a ballroom dancing class. You’re terrified at the thought. But, go for it! You can reach into another world and explore something outside your comfort zone. You just might surprise yourself.
- Do you keep a journal of your feelings? Get in touch with your own feelings, so you can live a life of equilibrium. The journal will help you learn to understand and better manage your feelings especially if work-life balance starts to get misaligned.
- Have you complimented a coworker today? When you compliment someone on their work, you’re consistently reminded that others are striving to create their best life possible, just like you. Strive to give compliments on a daily basis.
- How do you commit to exploring topics you’re passionate about? Stay excited about life!
- Do you call and visit your family regularly? It’s comforting to be with and talk to those who’ve known you all of your life.
- Have you written down your own goals and made a plan to achieve them? Goals that you design are a lot more important to you than those that others create for you.
- Are you getting enough rest and sleep so you can have the best days possible? When you sleep well, you wake up energized and refreshed, so you can deal with whatever the day brings. You want to have the reserves to live life to the fullest.
- Do you need to remind yourself that slow and steady wins the race? It’s unnecessary to be ahead of everyone else in all aspects of your life. But it might be helpful to keep plugging away until you accomplish something you’re working for personally.
Keeping equilibrium in your life ensures you’ll enjoy variety, interest, and fulfillment. What strategies for work-life balance have you tried? Create balance between your work, social life, romantic relationship, and personal time, starting now.
Are you struggling with feeling burned out, exhausted, and like your life is completely out of balance? What if you could get back to what motivates and inspires you so that you are living from an aligned and balanced center? If that sounds like just what you need, it would be my honor to invite you to our P2V2 Women’s Leadership Retreat. It will be an intimate weekend that not only allows you to relax, recharge, and recalibrate but also provides you with new friendships, tools for identifying where to spend your energy, and memories to last a lifetime. We would love to welcome your wisdom to our circle!
