Life balance exercises do not involve doing crunches on a stability ball. Life balance is defined by spending your time in harmony with your priorities. Everyone has some combination of career, family, friends and a household to balance. It is too easy to get caught up in one area and lose control of the others. Fortunately, there are simple ways to exercise power over your life instead of your life controlling you.
List Your Life's Activities
Make a list of the priorities in your life. These might include your spouse, children, work, keeping house, health, travel, hobbies, volunteering, friends, faith or relaxation. Keep the number around eight -- any more than that can be overwhelming. Beside each item on your list, write the percentage of your day that you spend on it. Next to that number, write the percentage of your day you would LIKE to spend on that item. The items with the greatest difference between percentages are the ones to focus on first.
Ask a Friend to Help Identify Priorities
If you are not a list-making person or don't think you can be objective about yourself, ask a trusted friend or family member to evaluate you. Ask him to tell you which tasks or areas in your life you excel at and which ones you struggle with. Also ask what seems to make you happiest and what you complain about most. His observations will point you to areas to focus on.
Categorize Your Support System
Another productive exercise is to make a list of people you can count on to support you in different areas of your life. For example, under "work," list trusted colleagues and mentors. Under "children," put parents of your children's classmates who you can call to swap taxi duty. Under "household," put the names of a handyman, housekeeper, gardener or pick-up and drop-off service company for dry cleaning and groceries.
Execute and Implement What You Have Learned
It's time to put what you have learned into action. An easy way to start is to enlist your support teams. For one month, try your housekeeper's and gardener's services and have your dry cleaning and groceries delivered. Spend your new free time on the most out-of-balance items on your list. Whether you spend one-on-one time with your kids, attend yoga classes, read a long-shelved book or just go to bed earlier by half an hour each night, you will start to reap benefits from restoring your life balance.
Evaluate Your Progress
After your first month, check your progress. Make a new list of your activities in the past month, and rate the percentage of time you spent on each vs. the percentage of time you wanted to spend. The differences should be smaller than they were on your first list. Keep reevaluating yourself every month. Look for new ways to use and expand your support system.
Achieving life balance takes work, but practicing these exercises can make it second nature. Strong life balance muscles allow you to enjoy all your favorite people and activities and lead a full, happy life.
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