The 5 Ways to Find Balance in Your Life

Tips for achieving balance in life.

When I was younger, I thought it would be easy to achieve balance in life. But let’s face it: life is full of challenges and obstacles. We all want more time to spend with friends and family, but sometimes we get so busy that we forget how important it is to take care of ourselves. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to regain focus and get the most out of what we do and allow enough time for each area of our lives including family, co-workers/friends, health and fitness, community service and volunteering, and personal interests. Having balance doesn’t always mean that we can get everything done. Instead, finding balance means setting one’s priorities and obtaining goals that are most meaningful to you.

Keep a daily gratitude journal

The concept of keeping a gratitude journal is simple. It is the practice of writing down one or more things that you are grateful for each day. Lists are helpful tools because they help us to see the big picture. The more we focus on the negative aspects of our lives, the more likely it is that we will feel overwhelmed by them. For example, if your job is stressing you out, feeling overwhelmed by your deadlines and workload can be a common feeling. Focusing on the positive aspects of your life can help you to find balance at work and in your home life, too.

Avoid checking your email first thing in the morning

While you might think that getting right to work would be the most productive use of your time, research has shown that checking email first thing is actually more likely to make you feel burned out by the end of the day. Not only that but there’s no way to avoid distractions once you start sifting through your inbox; even answering one email can lead to several others getting sent your way. Instead of jumping right into work as soon as you wake up, take some time to read, meditate or engage in another activity that is either relaxing or will give you energy to power through the day.

Make your to-do-list manageable

Keep it short. The goal of your to-do list is to make sure you don’t spend time on things that aren’t important. But if it’s too long, you’ll feel overwhelmed by all the things you have to get done. To stay focused, keep your list really short — three or four items at most. Break down big projects into small tasks and tackle those one at a time. Be realistic about how long each will take and don’t be afraid to cut some things off the list if they stretch out too far into the future. Ensure every item on your list is actionable. This means that every item should be something you can either check off as complete or delegate as soon as possible.

Contribute to your community

You don’t have to be an expert at anything, but if you feel passionate about an organization or advocacy, reach out and ask questions on how you can contribute. Volunteering will give you an opportunity to connect with other members of your community and will allow you to find out how you can help those around you. 

List 3-5 things that really matter to you. Maybe this could be something like Habitat for Humanity or something related to the local animal shelter near you. If there’s no way that you can contribute right now, then just try and do something that will improve someone else’s life. For example, if there’s no way you can donate money, maybe there is a way that you can help at home. Maybe someone in your family needs help cleaning their room or folding laundry or cooking dinner. Giving them some help around the house could have a much bigger impact on their happiness than buying them a brand new toy. This will allow you to take the focus off of yourself and your problems and put it onto someone or something else.

Make some time for yourself each day

When was the last time you spent a few hours by yourself? We all need a little bit of solitude to help us relax. If you’re constantly surrounded by people, whether at work or home, it’s important to spend some time on your own. You don’t have to do anything special while you’re alone; just sitting quietly while thinking about what you’ve been doing lately is good enough for this purpose.

You may also like to schedule some after-work “me time.” Take a few minutes each day to do something relaxing and fun — read a book, go for a walk — when the demands of your job have died down for the day. This will help you wind down and get in a better frame of mind before heading home or getting back into work mode.