How To Have Work-Life Balance: An Incredibly Easy Method That Works For All
We can’t have it all even though people like to throw around this cliché a lot. Sorry to burst your bubble! The good news is we can discover peace and happiness without “having it all.” It’s just a matter of figuring out our values and creating a life that aligns with them. Many of my clients come to me complaining about feeling off kilter with a lack of work life balance.
Having the perfect work-life balance does not exist.
What we can do, though, is determined by our priorities. If spending more time with our kids is something we want, yet we don’t have the time, we can find ways to increase the quality of our time with them and this will actually make up for a lack of quantity. Of course, many of us do not want to be stay-at-home moms, (it’s a lot harder to stay home with kids then run out to work), so allocating enough time for home can be a challenge.
People-pleasing and caretaking is something that most women are taught at a very early age. This tendency bleeds into all aspects of our lives and creates an overextension of ourselves while subtracting from the little time we may have left for ourselves.
Prior to having children, I definitely had the luxury of time to waste. I didn’t realize how much I was a yes woman at work and in life until I found myself struggling to work out meditate or do anything for myself. The first time I said no to a one-hour-time-suck favor I remember feeling so guilty. Saying no gave me the time to squeeze in an extra work out for myself and that actually did me so much good rather than the extra work which would have left me feeling drained.
The power of now
and
narrowing of focus
are key components in achieving the balance that you want. I used to love to volunteer to help for so many different projects because helping others makes me happy. However, I began to realize I needed to constrain my focus and use my time more cautiously.
Now, I tend to just say no from the get-go for various extracurricular activities that don’t bring me joy and this helps to clean up my life and simplify the way in which I do things.
This practice gives me extra time and space physically and mentally.
Balance is easier to find with identification of priorities, shedding of people-pleasing tendencies, and the practice of saying no. Konmari your life by getting rid of that which doesn’t bring you joy.
Does this seem like a stretch for you?
Then take small steps in ridding yourself of draining people or activities. When we begin to live our lives with this type of intention, we can have balance.
If this resonates with you, please sign up for my FREE live masterclass on Thursday, November 18th at 3pm EST.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dHgsMuZDRr66MNn5tBBsig