“It’s all about balance!” Easier said than done right? How often do we catch ourselves saying that? Or perhaps we feel like we are constantly out of sync running around like little hamsters on a wheel spinning round and round, because we forgot to balance everything in our lives. Just when I feel like I have it all together, and everything should follow some sort of rhythm and balance, I find myself going back to drawing board, reevaluating, readjusting so that there is some sort of semi sane balance in my life! Ha! Which is no easy task.

I feel like I am constantly juggling all areas of life, from being a mom and all that entails, through to being a freelancer, wife, friend, daughter, household co-ordinator, volunteer during the week, you name it, I’m doing it! That’s why for me it is very important to find that constant balance throughout my week. Without that balance, I end up feel anxious, stressed, don’t sleep properly, and run around like a headless chicken. But life happens too, which means there is the unexpected, the unplanned, which in turn means that my balance flies out of the window. And to be honest with you sometimes I forget that my balance has gone out of the window, until I find myself completely drained and overwhelmed. Then I know it’s time to go back to the drawing board, and find that healthy balance again.

GET YOUR BALANCE BACK

Getting your balance back throughout the week, may require taking a step back and reworking your weekly schedule. This may mean going over aspect of your life, and knowing where your responsibilities lie, and how to coordinate it well. Whenever I feel like I need to adjust my weekly schedule I simply do the following: 

  • Write down what your week currently requires of you – from work, through to family responsibilities, to exercise, shopping, cooking, and any other weekly commitments.
  • Draw up a weekly calendar – write down the days of the week, along with times, and what needs to be done each day, or on regular weekly basis.
  • Take a step back for a moment, and visually take in your outlined week. Make note if there is too much happening on one day in particular, maybe you’ve overbooked yourself, or are overcommitting yourself. Make note of that, and adjust your schedule if need be.

HONOR YOUR TIME

Be realistic with your time, and see your time as sacred when blocking out your week with weekly happenings. You are not a computer or a robot than can simply recharge itself in one hour. Therefore honour yourself by honouring your time.

Just know and believe me when I say, that it is okay to say no without feeling bad about it. You are the one at the end of the day who knows exactly what you can or can’t commit to realistically. Honour your pace, value your time, respect and love yourself enough to know what to say yes to and what to say no to. It’s your time, energy, and life after all. Therefore, look after yourself, by scheduling and balancing your time well.