“I’m so busy”, is a phrase I’m sure most of us have heard, and even used. We often find ourselves drowning in our work, whether it’s our job as a parent or our job as an entrepreneur/professional, that we end up neglecting ourselves—our health, our emotions, our mentality.
Well, what most of us miss is that getting things done doesn’t necessarily mean being busy. Some of us are even unknowingly busy creating an image of busyness as if being busy means being successful. If you’re guilty as charged, then what you’re truly doing is damaging your professional and personal life—which is why you need to master the art of balance.
So, what is it?
In its simplest definition, it is about maintaining the difference between the time devoted to professional life, family life, and personal life. Devoting the entire time to the leisurely activity will certainly not help with earning the money to afford a decent life. However, devoting our entire time to work isn’t going to help either—think burnout. Maintaining the balance and giving enough time to work, your family and yourself is necessary, and is what we call, “The Art of Balance”.
Tips to mastering the Art of Balance:
1. Don’t make work of your life. Working is good, earning an income is good, but if it affects your family-relationship or your health, is any money really worth it?
2. Create your own deadlines and stick to it. You know the best for yourself, so set your own realistic timelines, so you don’t stress yourself out in trying to accomplish them.
3. Group tasks so you use momentum to get more done more efficiently. Practice doing tasks together to increase your productivity and spare yourself more time.
4. Unplug from the virtual world regularly and enjoy the physical world. For every 1 hour you’re online, take 15 minutes off and enjoy your surroundings. Life happens beyond the screen, so enjoy it because it’s the only one you’ve got.
5. Schedule time to unplug, unwind and have me-time (not just family or friend time). When was the last time you were alone? Take a holiday for yourself, or just do something you simply enjoy.
6. Feed yourself with positivity. When you find yourself in unwanted circumstances, keep your mind positive and tell yourself that you can do it. You are your best motivator.
There’s no way you can properly function without balance. Some people can’t understand why they might feel irritable or frustrated, and it’s often because their lives aren’t balanced. You were not made to do just one thing and that’s why you shouldn’t focus all your energy on it.
“In all aspects of our lives, balance is key. Doing one thing too much can cause upset as the old saying goes, everything in moderation is the secret!”—Catherine Pulsifer
