Photo by h.koppdelaney

Just the thought of creating a more balanced life causes some of my clients to panic. While the idea of a beautifully balanced life, with leisurely coffee over the morning paper and an uninterrupted bubble bath at night after helping Suzie with her science project can be intoxicating, thinking about implementing it can be scary. The mixed feelings arise because of the myth that balance means spending equal time on all of your priorities. Women who love their careers worry that they’ll have to turn down promotions and begin taking yoga. Not so! A balanced life means finding a way of living that works best for you. Your idea of a balanced life may be completely different from someone else’s. I have clients who work 70 hours per week and still feel balanced if they have an evening run and one date night with their spouse each week. Others need to have a sit-down meal with their families every night. The key to a balanced life is figuring out exactly what balance means to you.

One of the best ways to figure out what balance would look like to you is to create your ideal day. On a sheet of paper, write down what an ideal day would be for you. Begin when you wake up in the morning, walk yourself through a typical weekday, and end when you go to bed at night. Include as much detail as is necessary to begin to feel what a day like that would be like. When you’re finished, look back over what you wrote. Who did you spend time with? What activities did you engage in? Did you include any time just for yourself? Your ideal day will provide you with clues to what balance means to you.

All the best!
Allison