As time passes, our to do lists grow, our responsibilities increase, and we have less time for our selves, it becomes more difficult to create balance in our lives. If you have been working to create balance in your life but you seem to fall short this is for you. Take the time to go through this post and see where you can take action.
I have created this list from both personal experience and from working with clients. It is my hope, that it can also help you create the balance in your life that you have been seeking.
Define Your Core Values
If you haven’t defined your core values you are going to struggle to design your life in a balanced and aligned way. This is because you are going in all different directions and chances are pretty good some of the things you are doing are working against each other, at least if you are anything like I was.
Before I took the time to sit down and define my core values It felt like I was running around in circles! I would work on one project and then stop in the middle. I would be easily side tracked and I was not consistent with anything. This was because I wasn’t totally clear on what my core values were and how to align my actions with them.
When you know your core values creating a balanced life becomes easier. This is because your core values serve as a road map to designing your life. Allowing you to know what activities you want to prioritize and what things are not worth your time.
Once you define your core values everything will become much more clear.
For Example: One of my core values is health. Because I have defined that as one of my core values I know that I need to prioritize things that will benefit my health. When I am creating my weekly schedule I make sure that I add in time to workout, meditate, practice yoga, and make my favorite health drink, & cook healthy meals.
Define What A Balanced Life Means To You
Chances are pretty good that you haven’t defined what having balance in your life means to you. Maybe you have read self-help books on balance or a few different blog posts. But this is not the same as taking the time to get clear on what balanced living means to you.
It is time for you to define it for yourself. Ask yourself the following:
What feels out of balance in your life now?
Describe your perfectly balanced day
What areas of your life need more balance?
What are the things/activities that are non negotiables for you?
How much time do you have to devote to each of your core values?
What will you gain from having more balance?
Why are you seeking more balance?
Get Consistent
Consistency is so important when creating a new routine or habit. If you aren’t consistent you cant expect to see any real results. This is also true when you are working on creating more balance in your life. You cant work on it for a week and then take two weeks off. You have to stay consistent.
Ask Yourself:
Why have I struggled to be consistent?
What has gotten in my way? Are there any patterns?
How can I change and become consistent?
Make Plans & Schedule Your Time
Failing to effectively plan and schedule your time can quickly rob you of the balance in your life. Leading to countless hours spent on the wrong things or simply spending way too much time on specific tasks. Suddenly you look up and you have no idea where your time went!
By planning your day effectively you allow yourself to be more productive. Planning also allows you to design your day in a way that creates the balance you need.
In order to start my day out with the right mindset and energy I Meditate for 10-15 minutes first thing when I wake up. Then I Journal, have my morning drink & breakfast, then I go over my schedule for the day. This sets me up for success and keeps me on track for what I need to get done that day.
I am obsessed with my passion planner because it allows me to schedule my day in 30 min increments. I really like planners that give me the space to put all my tasks for the entire day. It has been a huge help in planning and scheduling my time!
Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries is one of the most helpful tools for creating a balanced life. When you don’t set boundaries you end up overextending yourself often and will experience burn out sooner or later. Not having clear boundaries is a subtle way we sabotage ourselves.
As a people pleaser for a good chunk of my life I found setting boundaries to be very difficult and I found I never had balance in my life. I started out slow, getting comfortable saying no and letting others know my boundaries. As I got more practice I noticed first, that people were ok when I said no and second, that saying no gave me time to do things I really wanted to do.
Ask Yourself:
Where are you not setting boundaries in your life & Why?
What boundaries can you set that will give you more time freedom?
What would saying no more do for you?
Put a Stop To Your Negative Self Talk
Negative self talk can be a major issue you face when trying to create more balance in your life.
Many of my clients come to me saying that they really struggle with negative self talk, when they are trying to relax or are doing something for their self care. A little voice pops up telling them they don’t deserve it or they could be doing something better with their time.
This voice can be so loud that it totally overrides your good intentions to take care of yourself and create a balanced life. So if you are serious about creating balance in your life, you need to also get serious about putting an end to your negative self talk as well.
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