
Here are some simple and effective ways to balance competing demands on your time and energy. Implementing these should result in greater satisfaction at work, better relationships with loved ones, and a marked increase in your energy level. All of these combine for lifting you to a higher level of overall health, vitality, and enjoyment of life.
Once you get clarity on your values and what is important to you, you won’t waste time and energy on tasks and events that aren’t aligned with your priorities. You’ll end up concentrating your energy on what you want rather than dissipating it amongst many things you don’t really want. You’ll need to do some introspective work to identify your core values. Once you have them identified and prioritized, you’ll be able to make choices that support you and you’ll feel better because you’ll be acting in congruence with what you consider vital.
Once you have a clear picture of where you’ll need to spend your time and energy to achieve what’s important to you, WRITE OUT ON PAPER daily weekly, monthly and yearly goals. I can’t over emphasize the importance of actually writing these down. Just keeping some general ideas floating around your head doesn’t help you at all. Goals are much more likely to be achieved if they are written down. You’ll even further increase your chances of success if you develop an action plan and share your goals with a friend who will hold you accountable. This idea is to be active, rather than passive, proactive rather than reactive. People who don’t do this tend to be swept along by the course of events that happen to them, rather than moving consistently in the right direction.
When a person becomes a private coaching client, one of the first things I do is have them chart their use of time. Many people are harried and stressed because they either overcommit themselves because they have unrealistic expectations of what they can accomplish or they don’t plan their day at all and simply hope for the best. Of course, the uncertainty associated with this approach leads right back to stress and overwhelm as well. Getting a handle on time management is crucial to avoid these issues, which can seriously impact your health and relationships.
Did you ever notice that flight attendants, when giving the safety briefing before takeoff, always instruct you that in the case of a loss of cabin pressure that an oxygen mask will deploy and that you should put yours on first before trying to help someone else? Self-care is crucial, yet something that many of us have been conditioned to spurn. “Don’t be selfish!” is a mantra that parents have installed in our programming, and in context, it’s a highly beneficial teaching. However, we often take it too far and neglect caring for ourselves the way we ought. This can lead to feelings of resentment, health struggles, and burnout. It is vital that you take time for yourself! Maintaining your physical and emotional health and wellbeing allows you to remain effectively contributing to your career and community, to being emotionally engaged and interactive in a healthy way with family and friends, and helps you to feel good about yourself.
Set Boundaries. This can be very challenging for some people, especially those in the helping professions. However, you must establish and enforce healthy boundaries that tell those around you exactly what you will accept and what you won’t. If you choose not to do this, they will do it for you and I guarantee that they will not have any problem imposing their convenience upon you. When I work with stay at home professionals or entrepreneurs who are constantly on the go, it can be a real challenge for them to avoid unnecessary interruptions and distractions. Everything looks like a great new opportunity, but enforcing personal boundaries often requires that you have the strength to gracefully decline boundary infractions. Respectfully saying “No. I am not available right now can we make another time?” is a perfectly acceptable way of doing this.
If you begin to implement these steps, chances are that you’ll begin to experience feelings of peace, pleasure and purpose because you’ll be shifting the energy of your external life into a more healthy alignment with your inner desires. Why not make a commitment to improve your work v. life balance right now? You are most certainly worth it!
A great first step for you might be to contact me for a 45 minute FREE life transformation strategy session.
In this session we will:
- Uncover hidden challenges that may be the cause of chaos, stress and discord in your life.
- Create a crystal clear vision for your “ultimate life” of tremendous success on your terms with ample quality time and energy for all your priorities.
- Leave the session renewed, re-energized, and inspired to transform your life and accomplish all of the things that are really important to you.
Click here to schedule your complimentary session!
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Dr. Steve Stutz, CC is a Life Success Coach, specializing in helping clergy and professional church workers not only survive but to thrive during periods of crisis, transition, and renewal. To receive periodic personal development tips and success mindset articles, please join his e-list by visiting www.forwardpathcoaching.com