5 Tips to Finding Work/Life Balance

If you are anything like me, you may be reading this going, "Ha! What is work/life balance. There is no balance." Que meme of dog in fire, "It's fine. Everything is fine."

To a certain extent, you are right, there is never going to be some perfect balance between chasing your goals professionally and wooping it up at home with your fur kids. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't ways to find a balance based on the season of life you are in.

Tip #1 - Periods of growth are okay

You may be working your rear end off at work for that promotion, to hit that sales quota, to hit that next level in your MLM, but you aren't seeing the fruit of all your hard labor. That's when the guilt sets in over not being home enough, or feeling just down right exhausted.

"Why should I keep busting my balls if I don't see any reward in return?"

Because, you are growing. We have to have periods of growth in which the work is high, but the reward is little, and that's okay! Keep going.

Tip #2 - You time is YOU TIME

If you decide to take a bath and give yourself some you time, that means you put that phone down, you turn on that music, and you let the house know, you aren't to be disturbed till you come out. Don't keep working when you are supposed to be relaxing, that's why you feel overwhelmed and exhausted, you need breaks. Even little ones.

Tip #3 - Family/friend time = no working

Be intentional with the time you do have with your family or friends. If you are checking emails while you're out to brunch with the squad, you are not getting the R&R you need. If you are dead tired like I normally am, making plans that require little effort are the way to go. Do a game night so you can shlump on the couch. Have your friend's over for a wine and paint evening in your own house. Whatever it is, make it easy on yourself without turning into a hermit crab.

Tip #4 - Learn to say, "No"

Oh man, I feel like a hypocrite for even writing this one because I am so bad at it personally. This fall I have taken on waaaaaaaay too many projects and I am feeling the pain of too many "yes"s. However, the way to find some peace and balance is by knowing your limits. I have overstretched mine recently and my health is paying for it. Be better than me. Say, "no".

Tip #5 - The Rule of 3

My father has a great rule, he said he only takes on 3 things.

1) His main income job 2) Being a father and husband and 3) whatever he is interested in

So that means if he is training for a triathlon, he doesn't take on choir. Or if he joined a book club, he doesn't start writing a novel himself. Pretty slick! It ultimately means taking on ONE thing.

Finding balance is really about choosing what is most important to you and focusing on it. You will have to give and take with the amount of time you give based on your goals, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it all. Be intentional. Work time is work time. Family/friend time is family/friend time. Period.