Everyone craves to lead a well-balanced life but in the true sense of the word, achieving balance can be elusive due to the very busy, time-demanding, fast-paced modern world we find ourselves in.
I have had my fair share of imbalance in an attempt to want to juggle everything; from being a 9to5er to starting a family, to nurturing start-up businesses and being financially independent, to keeping up with friends and family, to developing spiritually, personally and professionally. The list goes on and these often feels like a never-ending rat race. To be honest, I got burned out and that taught me to slow down, put the quality of my life into perspective and learn more MEANINGFUL, WHOLESOME and PRODUCTIVE ways to take control of my life.
If you are at a point where everything feels chaotic and the idea of work-life harmony seems totally out of reach, here are some reasons you might be struggling and how you can bring in more harmony in your life.
You Haven’t Defined What Balance Truly Means To You.
The first assignment with my coaching clients is usually for each person to define what balance (and ultimately harmony) means to him or her and then create their own ‘balance blueprint‘ – which is a reflection of their uniqueness. To create your own balance blueprint, start by identifying areas of your life that matter most to you and visualize living life to its optimum in those areas – This will give you a much better idea of what you should be striving for.
You Are Not Focused on ‘Important’ Things.
We are mostly accustomed to living our lives on fast-track, thinking that because something is urgent or calls for instant action, it is important – without giving ourselves time to think clearly about the importance of our actions.
This does not mean that some urgent tasks are not important (for example, a child falling ill) but if you are focused on the important things in your life like quality work, healthy living, continuous personal development, etc, you will invest more in planning, preparing and preventing things from becoming urgent.
You Are Not Practicing Self-discipline.
Self-discipline is one of the most powerful personal leadership skill that will help you take control of your life. Without self-discipline, we often waste time, procrastinate, and fail to follow through with set goals or priorities. This only makes us feel overwhelmed, guilty, and in some cases depressed.
Bring in more harmony into your life by reducing distractions, getting clear on your priorities, and setting better personal boundaries and staying focused.
You Are Not Investing in The Right People.
Social support is both a physical and emotional investment in people that we love, care and value and who in turn values our friendship. Research shows that people without such positive support of family, spouse, friends, co-workers, coaches or mentors tend to feel more helpless and overwhelmed.
Are there people in your life you can turn to when life feels overwhelming and you need to talk to someone?
You Are Not Making Self-Care a Priority.
Harmony will always be out of reach if you are not deliberately making time for YOU and what you love; that includes making room for positive energy, thoughts and people. Self-care is never a selfish act, on the contrary, it is a priority and a remedy to stress as it builds the capacity to recover lost energy and do more.
As much as possible, take time out to reward yourself after a busy day or week by engaging in activities that will get you relaxed and boost your energy level such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy meals, getting regular workout or engaging in sports , traveling for leisure, etc.
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Achieving work-life harmony is simply requires a conscious prioritizing of key areas of your life and daily investing the time, resources and discipline required by each area in order to achieve optimal personal and professional returns.
What areas of your life are you prioritizing?
