Figuring out the Life-Balance Equation
Ever have a rollercoaster of a week where one day everything seems to flow beautifully and the very next day you wonder what the hell happened? This seems to be a pattern I’ve noticed and am interested in figuring out why.
What better way to peel back the layers than to analyze two sample days: a balanced in-flow day vs. one that seemed to go in the opposite direction.
The Unbalanced Day:
The day started out as an ordinary day, with my morning routine, a to-do list in hand and the intention for it to go well. So what happened?
Here’s the recap:
- I started later than intended.
- I got distracted and went down internet rabbit holes prompted by emails.
- The papers on my desk seemed to have taken over like an overgrown garden, which began affecting my mental clarity.
- Too many things pulled me away from my priorities and somehow I let that happen.
- There were no or not enough breaks
- I started feeling guilty about not spending enough time with the kids.
- My food choices weren’t the healthiest; hence further guilt.
- Due to a previously planned event the next day, all my “to dos” were squeezed into a tighter timeframe for completion.
- As a result, negative thoughts of reluctance to go to this event and actual blame came into the picture for my lack of time to fit it all in.
- Physically, I felt my neck, shoulders and jaw tense up.
Overall, it was as if all the busy activities took over my day. There was a sense of frustration, stress and helplessness.
The Balanced Day:
This day started with listening to some inspirational affirmations.
- Setting my intention of what the plan was; combined with the inner resolve to stick with it – kind of like going into “Wonder Woman mode” – just deciding to be unstoppable today.
- Carving out/giving myself the gift of a 60-90 minute block to work on my priorities. This time is best used for thinking and creating.
- Pre-scheduled Meetings with a defined purpose. Hint: Litmus Test: if the folks who request the meeting are unable to come up with an agenda for the meeting it may be something that can be addressed with a quick phone call or email. Another simple test would be to ask yourself what the purpose and intent of the meeting is.
- One interesting observation is that when you give yourself large enough blocks of time/white space to just think and keep pertinent meetings on your calendar, the other “to dos” with seeming urgency tend to fade into the background, at least temporarily.
- Keeping at least 30 minutes of exercise in your schedule is a great de-stressor and keeps you in check.
- When starting to get distracted, re-focusing on what you want to accomplish within a certain time period helps to reset your productivity levels.
- One other area I plan to be more consistent with is picking 3 categories and taking at least one action step in each category:
- Work (i.e. progress on a project)
- Relationships (i.e. spending 7-10 minutes of quality time with your spouse and/or kids, having dinner as a family, doing an activity together
- Self-Care (could be exercise, watching your favorite show, journaling or reading)
Cool Action Tip: Create a chart on the things you want to work on and allow little checkboxes or spots for star stickers to keep track of your progress. It can be something you create on the computer or write out and laminate and use a sharpie then take a snapshot of it at the end of the week.