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I continually struggle with trying to balance my life. As a single, work-at-home mom, I never feel like I can take enough time for myself. So I thought I’d remind myself of these strategies for balancing your life in this guest post by Mia Redrick that we published in 2013.
Is your life balanced? What does that mean? Do you often say, “There are not enough hours in a day!” or “I just wish I had more time?” If you have answered YES, then this may be a sign that your life is out of balance.
What are the symptoms of a life out of balance? If you are feeling rushed, hurried and anxious as you take on the daily events, then you can pretty much assume that things are out of whack. When we are out of balance, we find it difficult to enjoy life.
Many times poor scheduling dictates the quality our lives. Instead, we need to build a life that reflects our values and priorities. I do believe that it is possible to have it all in a lifetime, but not necessarily at the same time.
As parents, it is very easy to become so busy that you forget to hone in and consider what is most important. Here are 7 strategies you can take that will help you balance out your life.
Seven Strategies for Balancing Your Life
1. Delegate
Create a weekly meeting with your family to discuss household responsibilities. During this time, review household responsibilities and delegate age-appropriate chores. Hold the meeting during the same time each week, and review what is working and what is not. For children under the age of 10 years, provide a goal chart so they can check off each task for accountability.
2. Consider outsourcing
The laundry, grocery shopping (there a many grocery stores that deliver) or basic yard work can be outsourced to create more opportunities for quality time.
3. Plan your life
If you want to have days filled with less anxiety, you are going to need to plan in advance the activities of the family, work and other significant items. Planning allows us the necessary time to adjust and be proactive about the choices in our lives. This reduces stress and anxiety.
4. Eliminate what is not working
Look at ways you can add time to your days. What can you live without? Do the children have to go to gymnastics this semester if you have a particularly heavy workload this quarter? Be reasonable.
5. Seek quality not quantity
Identify five activities that you enjoy that take very little effort. Incorporate a movie night on Fridays. Have the movie delivered to your door, add some popcorn and a pizza. This is a wonderful way to have both a quality family event and add no additional stress to your days.
6. Give yourself a break
Be reasonable. Are you trying to work all day, come home to make dinner, clean the dishes, get baths going, read nighttime stories , clean the house and pay the bills in the evening? Ask yourself, is it possible to accomplish any of these items another day?
7. Exercise
It’s a great way to reduce stress. Take a walk with your family three times a week for 20 minutes.
What are your obligations and responsibilities?
Balancing our lives comes in many different sizes. For one parent finding balance might mean increasing the ability to let others help out, delegating tasks to others or perhaps finding services that can ease day to day responsibilities, such as a pick-up and drop-off laundry service.
For another, family balance might mean identifying ways to coordinate the challenges of work with the demands of finding quality family time.
As for me, balance means living a life in accordance with my values. It means making time every day for solitude, family and my personal passion. By prioritizing my time according to the things that I value, I create a life that is abundant.
Because I am clear about what I value, my priorities are my litmus test for what I should do next. Balance to me means that I create opportunities to delegate the unnecessary and purge the ridiculous.
 What about you… when are you at balance?
Mia Redrick, Mom Strategist is a mom of three, author and speaker empowering one million mothers to practice better self-care. Redrick is the author of Time for mom-Me: 5 Essential Strategies for A Mother’s Self-Care. For tips from The Mom Strategist visit www.findingdefinitions.com.
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Becca says
Great ideas! Most of the time I am able to keep things pretty balanced. I have noticed things going a little out of whack with my oldest out of school…just not used to her messing things up faster than I can clean them 🙂
<3 southernmessmom.blogspot.com
Tanya says
Love these ideas! Exercising does wonders. Getting rid of the “clutter” in life is always helpful.
Jennifer says
I have yet to learn how to balance my blogging with the rest of my life. There is always something to post, respond to or fix.
Ned says
i used to be a control freak once and it was driving me crazy.. i have learned to delegate and outsource work now.. i feel much more sane now
Crys Wiltshire says
Great post. I really do need to start incorporating steps like these before I lose my sanity 😉
Susan says
I love all these ideas! I’ve long been a fan of outsourcing house cleaning.
Crys Wiltshire says
Outsourcing housekeeping is something I am trying to get the hubs on board with right now. Between working full time (commuting 50 minutes to get there), my family, my blog, volunteer work…a clean house? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Or at least not this somebody 😉