Finding Balance
A question I hear frequently from other WAHMs is “How do I find balance in my life?” It is one that I’ve struggled with over the years myself and posted some thoughts to an online forum. Thanks to Cricket Bailey from GNC Web Creations for suggesting I share with others, too!
One of the things that has helped me tremendously with life balance has been identifying my “why” - I mean the deep down why I am doing this and where I want to be in 10, 20 years, what effect I want my work to have on the world, what purpose I have doing what I do. And then identifying my core values, character traits and things I hold dear to me that will bring me satisfaction and fulfillment
knowing I led a good life with honor. Once I was able to reflect on those
things I could more easily say “No” to things that do not further my why or
are not congruent with my values. It is as simple as writing them down on a
post-it note and looking at them before every task I do or every commitment
I consider putting on my calendar. Asking myself, “Does this further my
goals?” or “Does this support my values?” has been the simplest way to
balance my life.
I am not great at it, and can be impulsive at times (regretting decisions
later), but the best part is that it relieves me of guilt about saying no.
Stress comes from activities that are not congruent with your values.
Eliminate those activities and you have no stress! 
That’s the theory at
least!
Some more ideas I’ve found helpful are to schedule SET business hours and
make yourself stick to them. For some of us it is easier to set specific
NON-business hours, like pick one day a week you will NOT touch the business,
except for accidentally like if you meet someone at the park interested in
what you do. Having 1 day when you do no business can be such a gift to
yourself and your family! It will recharge your batteries, even if at first
you feel stressed out the whole day because of all the undone things on your
to-do list.
Another thing is to PLAN for a personal down time every day, whether it is
coffee with the newspaper 15 minutes in the morning or an hour of mindless
TV at night, write it into your calendar and enjoy yourself!
When it is business time, be 100% FOCUSed on your business. When it is family
time be 100% FOCUSed on your family. Multi-tasking is a myth that just
leaves you feeling scattered. Even if you can only get 1 hour a day to
laser-light focus on your business, plan that 1 hour and make it the most
productive of your day. When you are with your family, don’t answer your biz
line or check emails every 15 minutes - the world will not come to an end if
you give your family 1 hour of undivided attention. In fact, it will bring
peace and joy to your life!!
These are just some things I’ve found over the years that help. I am no
expert by far, but when I remember how important it is to prioritize and
find balance, I am SO much happier!!!!
Independent Story Time Felts Consultant
Independent Story Time Felts Consultant
Executive National Director
