How to find balance when you're busy

Many of us strive to find balance with our work, family, relationships, wellness, etc. We all want to feel like we’re on top of everything in our lives, but there’s so much stuff to do that it rarely feels that way.

In our society, there’s this pressure to spend time with your family, hang out with friends, be with your partner, eat well, exercise often, travel the globe, side-hustle, and post consistently on Instagram (only sort of kidding on that last one).

With so many responsibilities, how can we possibly juggle our time, energy, and attention between them all?  

1. Be realistic with your time

There’s only so much you can do in a day. If you’re trying to cram in too much into your schedule for the sake of “balance”, it’s only going to overwhelm you. You’ll also feel guilty when you can’t do it all. Instead, look at your weekly schedule and see what’s actually reasonable for you in terms of time and energy.

2. Let go of guilt

The feeling that we “should” do something is the worst. It only makes us feel trapped into doing things that don’t always serve us. If you don’t want to go to that party, you don’t have to go just because you were invited. You also don’t have to feel guilty about not being social if it’s not what you need at that moment in time. Take the pressure off yourself and focus on activities with people (or no people) that give you energetic alignment.

3. Make sacrifices

You have to make choices that bring you closer to what’s important and that means making sacrifices with your time. You might have to give up an extra hour of sleep to make it to the gym or say no to drinks with friends so you can spend time with your family. Balance is all about making those choices that suck at first but pay off in the long run.

4. Choose quality over quantity

Balance is all about choosing quality over quantity. Often we look at balance in terms of how much time we dedicate to things, but actually it’s about how much effort we put into them. After all, spending hours with friends doesn’t mean much if you’re staring at your phone the whole time. When you’re with the ones you love, make sure you’re staying present and actively listening and engaging with them. That way, you’ll get more out of the time you spend with them even it’s only a few minutes.

5. Get organized

There’s no way to fit everything in if you don’t MAKE time for what matters. Plan, plan, plan, and stick to it. For example, I plan out my day with what workout I’ll do in the morning, what my priorities are for the day, and what time I plan to work on each project. I know planning feels like the opposite of balance, but it helps you create space for what you want to do and who you want to spend time with (even if that’s yourself). That being said, don’t be afraid to be spontaneous sometimes. Spontaneity is good for balance. 

Source:theblissfulmind.com