Finding a better work-life balance is not an overnight sensation! If you’re serious about making a change, this is a process that can take weeks, if not months, to change your lifestyle. But before you start, ask yourself WHY? What are you truly seeking? Is it more happiness, more time with your spouse, more time with the kids, or just more free time to focus on yourself? What specifically is out of order that needs more of your focused time and energy?
If you are reading this article right now, then I believe some, if not all, of these points, may apply to you. You may have worked many years climbing the corporate ladder, you may have had a string of jobs that requires you to go through long commutes or travel frequently, or you may have a job that is saturated with meetings that make the grunt work happen outside of prime working hours. On top of this, there are the personal priorities that also require your attention from your kids to courting your wife, household chores, or your commitments to your church or community.
“Finding balance requires a full-court press on every aspect of your life”
Finding that balance that works for you and the people that are most important to you (i.e., your family), you have to make challenging decisions and build appropriate boundaries in every aspect of your life…not just your work schedule. Looking at how to be more productive between 9-5 is not a black and white answer, it requires changes in every aspect of the other 16 hours of your day that makes you show up better for you 9-5. The approach requires a full-court press on the various aspects of your sleep, your diet, your family commitments, your faith, and your friendships.
Let’s be real, what balance looks like for me is going to look different for someone else. God created every person to be unique, with a unique purpose(s), and to have unique talents. How those talents and purposes are used will vary person by person based on the variability of location, circumstance, profession, culture, and individuality. A day in the life of you can not be split up to compartmentalize every aspect into equal shares between family, work, community, and you. However, you can look at the 24-hour cycle and find rhythms and harmonies based on the time to find the ideal balance for you.
So where should you start?
- My recommendation is a few basic steps in the right direction starting with conducting a personal time audit for 7 to 14 days. Don’t do this during the holidays, vacations, or a season where things are not routine.
- After you can assess the time, carefully analyze the chunks that are getting too much of your time and the smaller bites that should be much larger. Maybe that is going to the gym, more time with your family, or time to volunteer.
- At that point, start building boundaries around the priorities that are important or need attention.
- Next, eliminate the time thieves that are draining you. This could be unnecessary meetings or overcommitting to something that doesn’t energize you anymore.
- To regain your balance, it’s imperative to be intentional in starting new habits one at a time with one philosophy in mind…Rome was not built overnight.
- Lastly, make time for rest. Sleep is essential and fundamental.
Here is a scripture that speaks to me when it comes to getting my mind, body, and spirit training for ultimate balance and endurance, which is 1 Corinthians 9:25-27. It states, “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. Are you physically and mentally drained? Are you fully rested when you wake up? Protect your sleep and get lots of it, it’s the fundamental key to running a balanced race!