5 Ways to Maintain a Work-Life Balance

Do you find yourself with a million tasks to do and unsure of how you will get them done? Overwhelmed with the thousands of emails that you have yet to get to? Feeling guilt from not being able to spend quality time with your children like you want to? Guess what? You are in the right place. I have moments when I feel like screaming at times. Having eight more arms could solve it all right?

Here are 5 ways to help you balance the craziness of life:

Delegate

I know that you are a super woman, but it is ok to let others help you sometimes. It took me forever to understand this. I like things done a certain way and the right way, so I felt like I had to do everything by myself. The problem with that is that you will easily burn yourself out. I have it bad for pushing myself until I cannot go any further and while it has been great for my career, my health pays for it. I started documenting everything, step by step so that others can help me out when I need it. I also got a virtual assistant that has been amazing. I have no idea why I waited so long to do that, but I am grateful for the help now. Allowing others to help does not make you weak. It does not make you any less of a hard worker. It shows that you trust others to do the jobs that you are doing. That trust will go a long way!

Say “NO” Without an Explanation

Don’t be the “YES” girl. If you already have several priority tasks, don’t even think about taking on another one. I would rather tell a client, “I am unable to work on this right now; however, I would love to work on this as time allows”, then give them a timeframe. You don’t have to go into detail about everything that you have going on, just simply say “NO”. Don’t over allocate yourself. Not only will you burn yourself out, but something will not get done. I would rather be upfront, than to over promise and risk missing a deadline.

That friend that thinks you’re acting funny because you don’t want to have a girl’s night out. Let her think what she wants. “Hey girl, are you free this weekend?” …. No! I’m not. Have fun!

You don’t owe anyone an explanation! Say “NO” and mean it!

Take Some Me-Time

Taking time for yourself is not an option. I know that it is hard to fit in time for you when you have deadlines, a house to clean, groceries to pick, doctor appointments, school conferences, virtual homework, meals to cook… this list can go on and on. In the middle of that, take a break, breathe, relax. That nail shop appointment that you’ve been putting off, put your mask on and go. I have not been to the nail salon since last year. To save money, I purchased a nail kit and started doing them myself. I also started to do my own eyebrows. Whew! That’s a story for another day. This past week, I told my husband that I was going out and I needed him to watch Lola (our daughter) for about an hour. Well, that hour turned into three and I don’t feel bad about it. As I sat there and had my legs rubbed, I decided to get my nails done too. As I sat there watching a soap opera that was playing, I said, “Do you do eyebrows too?” I walked out of that shop feeling like a million bucks and I don’t feel guilty one bit. That time with yourself is important and will help you in the days and weeks to come. As I sit here and type with my fall purple colored nails, with a topcoat of glitter, I am already planning my next visit and I’m not mad about it.

Plan Your Time Wisely

Having a schedule that you can see will help you stay on track. Whether you have a to-do list, a cute planner that keeps you organized, a notebook with tasks, sticky notes; however, you keep yourself organized, write it down. I know that life happens, and our plans don’t always go as expected, but you should still have a plan. Know how your hours will be allocated daily.

Schedule Family Time

Make time for your family outside of the normal tasks that you must do. If you truly don’t have five minutes to spare, then look at where your time is going and make changes. After that, if you still don’t have time, incorporate something fun in tasks that you must do. You know that you must cook dinner, so let it be a family activity. Get the kids in on dinner time. Let them help in the kitchen, even if it’s adding seasoning. Make it fun and tell them that you need them to sprinkle some magic on the food. Having a game night could also be a lot of fun or taking a family walk around a park. There are endless options. Nothing is more important than spending time with the people you love, so if you know that meeting will be 30 minutes of business and 30 minutes of fluff, cut it in half so that you have extra time with your family. Every minute is precious.