Why is it important to find balance in your life?
At some point in your life, you may spend so much time focussing on one area of your life that the other areas just fall behind. This can happen when you need to focus on a project at work, a new (or damaged) relationship, and more.
The risk is that if you spend too much time and energy on one area of life, the other areas might get damaged, and things can go sideways for you very quickly.
An excellent example is when you spend so much energy and attention on a work project that your health deteriorates, and you start getting sick because of bad eating habits. Or your relationship or marriage can end because your significant other starts feeling neglected.
It is crucial to have a balanced life. I’m not saying your life needs to be perfect in all areas, that will probably never happen. Your life just needs to be in some sort of balance where each area in your life enjoys similar amounts of attention.
Let’s do a quick analysis
Make a list of things that are important to you that you spend time on. Family, friends, husband/wife, girlfriend/boyfriend, parents, career, community, hobbies, travel, etc.
Now think of the energy you spend on each one on a scale of 0 (Low) to 10 (High) and rate them accordingly.
Can you see that some areas of your life enjoy more attention or energy than others? Can you maybe see an area where this might be a problem or potentially cause a problem?
Where does your time go?
How we spend our time greatly influences the balance in our lives. We often do not even have to start or stop doing new things to bring balance back, we just need to manage our time better.
Spending more time on the things you value most (and less time on the things that waste your energy) can bring back balance in your life and bring the improvement that you might be looking for.
Consider spending less time binge-watching that new tv show, and spend that energy on developing your side-hustle.
Instead of spending your time shopping for that “perfect chocolate cake” to soothe your cravings, do research on where and how to find more healthy alternatives.
Confession time… these are examples from my life that I am currently working on at the time of writing this. If you do things like this, you are not alone.
Let’s brainstorm some ideas
In two columns, list the things that you want to spend MORE time and LESS time on.
See if anything stands out that you can start changing today and focus on that.
Examples of things you can probably SPEND less time and energy on:
- Watching tv
- Eating unhealthy food
- Social media
- Complaining about things that you have no control over and that you can’t change
Examples of things that you can spend MORE time and energy on:
- Spending time with your loved ones or life partner
- The hobby that makes you feel good and gives you inspiration
- Building your side-hustle or second income stream
- Exercising
What can you do to fix or work on all of this?
It can get difficult to work on areas of your life if you are not sure how or if you do not have the necessary tools and support to make a change.
If you feel like you want to work on balancing your life better, here are a few things to consider:
The Wheel of Life
This exercise gives you a visual representation of where the focus is in your life, where you want it to be, and what areas of your life need change.
Consider a Coach
Sometimes, all you need is an accountability partner that can help you understand your life better and guide you through the things you want to change in your life.
Time Management
This worksheet allows you to keep track of your time every day. Use this for at least two months (yes, it is hard work), and by then, you will start seeing trends that might need attention. You can then put a plan of action in place.
