“Balance is not something you find, it's something you create” ? Jana Kingsford,

Maintaining a healthy balance in life is not only essential for well-being & happiness, but can be an enormous boost to your productivity, career or business success too. A well-balanced person has a far greater ability to focus their attention & energy on attaining their goals, taking productive actions & moving forward in a meaningful way.

The big question is…What does “life balance” really mean? What does a balanced life look like? Are you putting yourself last on a regular basis? But most importantly, how do we go about achieving it in the midst of our busy schedules?

It’s important to know & think about what your priorities are - not what you think they are, not what you think they should be & not what you think others would like them to be, BUT, to know what is important to you.

Once you have recognised the priorities, you can start to take charge of what isn’t working to regain some balance & control in your life. Remember, the key is not to try to change everything all at once, but, instead, make small changes & adjustments over time to determine what works & doesn’t work for you.

Below are just a few ideas to get you on the way to getting your life balance in check…

Turn it off: Disconnect on the weekend & give your work brain a break. Try it, at least for one day or even a few hours each night. Put the phone down & turn off the computer. Spend the extra time you have interacting with family & friends instead!

Trim, trim, trim: If your life is overflowing you may never be able to achieve balance & manage it all. It’s just not possible. Nobody wants to let their friends, family or workmates down, but sometimes their expectations of you can be unreasonable, causing you unnecessary angst. When you don’t set boundaries, others won’t know what they are. So it’s up to you to work out what you find acceptable. For example, don’t take on extra work if you can’t do it justice. Be polite, firm & consistent. Others will learn to respect you for it.

Relationships do matter: Set aside quality time with family & friends. Don’t just sit in front of the television, really connect & pay attention to those you care about. Make a date with your significant other, have coffee with a friend, play a game with a child. Really get to know the people around you.

Pay attention to your health: We hear this consistently, but usually pay it no attention, that is until we have a health crisis. Our health really does affect the quality in all aspects of our lives. We are far more productive & much happier when we get enough sleep, eat a little healthier & fit in some form of exercise.

Spend time alone: Creating time for you is probably the hardest thing to do for the typical overworked & overwhelmed person, but is absolutely crucial for lowering stress, increasing happiness & encouraging creativity. A few things to try? Meditate, gentle exercise, paint, read or simply sit quietly for a few minutes each day & do absolutely nothing. You can do it!

Treat yourself: Get a pedicure or a facial, or better yet, schedule a massage. It doesn’t need to be costly; a glass of wine, your favourite coffee or tea, a delightfully scented candle or beautiful flowers can make a huge impact.

Try a new activity: Take a class, learn to paint or try something new that you’ve always wanted to learn or do. Read a book that sparks your interest or try listening to uplifting music. Find what interests you & simply make time each week… ideally, schedule this into your diary as an ‘appointment’!

Most importantly… have fun! Laugh, joke, play – nothing makes the feel better as fast as a good old-fashioned belly laugh!

Until next time… Lisa, Gil, Bec, Erin, Sara, Hanna & Andrea xo

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