How often do you hear or, even say, I’m too busy to do this or that?
Being busy is not an accomplishment.
Let’s be real. We all make time to do the things we want to do. Whether it is watching TV, or a movie, or going out to dinner, these are the things we make time to do. Sometimes we do too much, and it takes away from our ability to lead a balanced life.
There are times where life can be both busy, and hectic, and many days where it seems like there just are not enough hours in the day.
So what do you do when the to-do list is miles long, but you want to live a balanced life?
We have all seen the person who comes to work every day with every strand of hair in place, and the perfect outfit. How does she do it? The truth is, no one can do it all. As a matter of fact, it is nearly impossible for one person to successfully do everything well.
To lead a balanced life, you must create the balance you seek. I know this sounds cliché but keep reading because it will all make sense.
You must be agile
To find your footing, you must be agile. What does this mean? There are times where we must rearrange our priorities to make time for the most essential tasks. We can get more of almost everything in life, but time is the one resource that is truly limited. It is vital to be mindful of the things that require most of your time. Your job, your household, parental responsibilities if you have children.
It is ok to say no sometimes. Obviously, there are things in life that we cannot say no to, like getting an extra assignment at work, but when you find yourself feeling overscheduled and overwhelmed, take a look at what is eating your time and prioritize based on what is most important.
Ask for help
The saying it takes a village can be applied to almost every aspect of life. Whether it is your career or family life. We all need a little bit of help from time to time.
At work, there are times when you have to be able to speak up for yourself when you are feeling overloaded. We are all boss babes who want to show our value, but it is crucial to know when to wave the white flag and ask for help from a colleague.
In most cases, companies experience ebbs and flows, so while you may be feeling overloaded, there may be a colleague who is surfing the net to kill time. It would be mutually beneficial for you to reach out for help and for that person to fill his/her time with revenue-generating activities, right?
How does this help you? If you are putting in long hours trying to do it all, getting help from a colleague can help you find the balance, which may enable you to get out of work on time.
What does this create? That oh so precious time that we all cannot seem to find enough of.
Learning to say no
In today’s society, it is not uncommon for us to try to do it all. First. Take off your cape, you are not superwoman, and that is ok! In many cases we find ourselves doing things out of guilt. Can you relate? We get ourselves in situations where we commit to activities that suck our time but hold no interest for us.
For example, that happy hour after work that you are not interested in. Say no. That event with distant family members that you do not really want to attend say no.
The chatty person at work who does not take social cues, tell him or her that you need to focus on your to-do list and remove yourself from the conversation.
If you are not a forward person, learning to say no can be a bit intimidating, but trust me, learning this skill will take you a long way.
You do not have to be rude or abrupt with your response, but be honest. It is ok to tell people that you are working to find the balance in your life and working to remove distractions.
You would be surprised by how many people are also struggling to do the same, and who knows, maybe you can offer them some useful tips, or send them to this post (wink).
Learning to say no is especially crucial for those who work for themselves. It can be tempting to take on every single client or opportunity that comes your way but never saying no can lead to you burning yourself out. Think about it, if you are a solopreneur, can you realistically take on all of the work, and do it well by yourself? Probably not, right?
Exercise Good Time Management Skills
Nothing is perfect, things will never be perfect, and that is the way it is. You may read this as a negative, but it is not. It is necessary to be realistic with ourselves and understand that chasing perfect is like watching a hamster on a wheel. He’s moving, but he’s not going anywhere.
So what do we do? Plan! Use an organizer or your calendar to plan your days. This includes work-related tasks and social events/time.
If you wake up to an alarm in the morning, think of scheduling your days in the same manner. When that alarm goes off, you get up and get to it.
Remember that days always fill up faster than we expect them to. Think about when you take time off work; you have a plan for your day and then before you know it, it is 4 pm. Poof, day, gone.
Try building some buffer time into your schedule and avoid over-scheduling yourself. Do not overextend yourself. You cannot be everything for everyone.
Break your work into small, yet achievable tasks. If you have a responsibility that is complex and multi-faceted, review it and break it out into smaller tasks that are easier to manage on a day to day basis. This enables you to focus on what needs to be done and allows you to do it in a timeframe that is manageable for you.
Make deliberate choices
Do not allow life to just happen, to lead a balanced life; you must take a deliberate approach. It is your life, so own it.
Communicate. Not just at work when you’re feeling overwhelmed and need a helping hand, but also communicate at home.
Be intentional. Talk to your spouse or significant other about what is important to you and also what is most important to them as well. Use this information to create a path for how you are spending your time together.
Talk to friends and family and let them know where you are in life. In times when you are really busy, people can often feel neglected. Do not allow yourself to be made to feel guilty because you are working toward your goals. But, do communicate with them to let them know that you care, and schedule in time to spend with them.
Declutter your life
Evaluate the things in your life that occupy your time. Work, family, friends, business or side hustle, or watching television.
Identify what is important to you and set boundaries for how much time you can spend doing certain things.
Remove toxic things and people from your life. As mentioned above, it is essential to communicate with family and friends when it comes to your time; especially if it is limited.
But, there are those who sometimes require you to take space away from them to focus on your goals. We can be there for our loved ones, but some people always have a problem in life, and in some cases, you have to know when to step away and reclaim your time.
Again, I will never advocate abandoning your loved ones, but make sure you are not allowing other people’s issues to become yours. The goal here is to create more time for you, not more become more overwhelmed.
The key to finding balance in life is prioritizing your life based on tasks you must complete and tasks that can be eliminated or shifted.
Remember that you are not expected to be superwoman and that it is ok to say no sometimes.
In many instances, we have to do what is best for ourselves to be the best version of ourselves. So reclaim your time like Maxine Waters and use these tips to help you lead a balanced life.
Looking for more tips on how to be productive? Check out this post on how to be productive and get stuff done.
Don’t forget to leave a comment below and tell me about the tricks you use to find balance when life gets hectic.
