12 Life Balance Tips

Living with balance lowers stress and anxiety. You’re less reactive, more grounded, and better able to handle pressure without feeling overwhelmed.

Many people struggle with balance because perfectionism gets in the way. They hesitate to make the brave shifts in time and energy required for a well-rounded life. If this sounds like you, these 12 tips will help.

12 Life Balance Tips

1. Make Every 15 Minutes Count

Often, doing a little of something healthy is far better than doing nothing at all. If you don’t have time for a 45-minute workout, take a 15-minute walk. If you can’t meet a friend for lunch, make a quick ten-minute call. You have options.

2. Daily Evaluation Using the Life Wheel

Assess your level of health in each area of your life on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 is low, and 10 is high. Invest in each area every day. Identify lower areas and make them a priority.

3. Track Your Work Hours

For two weeks straight, at the end of each day, write down how many hours you worked. Be sure you include weekends. You may be surprised at the percentage of your weekly 168 hours going towards your job. People who resist this activity usually do so because they already know they work too much.

4. Set Goals

Goals are friends of life balance. They help you remember what you want most and help you focus your attention. Set goals, not just in one area of your life, but throughout the 7 different life areas listed below.

Spiritual: Faith community, spiritual disciplines, prayer, scripture, service, etc.
Family: Marriage, parenting, extended family, closest friends, etc.
Health & Self Care: Diet & nutrition, exercise, water intake, rest, sleep, medical care, etc.
Intellectual: Reading, learning, intellectual development, intellectual conversations, etc.
Social & Fun: Hobbies, recreation, adventure, relaxation, humor, etc.
Career/Business: Talent & technical skills, professional development, etc.
Financial: Planning, budgeting, stewardship of resources, communication around money, etc.

5. Have a Friend Help You Prioritize

Prioritization requires saying "no" to good opportunities. Share your schedule with a friend and get their opinion. Are you trying to do too much and/or neglecting parts of your life? Listen to what they have to say. My friends help me have healthy expectations and stay on track.

"You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage - pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically, to say "no" to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger "yes" burning inside. The enemy of the "best" is often the "good." - Steven R. Covey

6. Establish Deadlines

Deadlines are also life balance allies, especially artificial deadlines you take seriously. They decrease perfectionism and procrastination because they put pressure on you to get something done, even if it's imperfect. Scarcity leads to creativity; it forces you to be creative as it eliminates options. Once you establish a target date, it's much harder to delay. Set a time limit for something you've been putting off.

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7. Trust Yourself

Trust yourself to know where your time and energy are needed. Listen to your intuition—if your gut says to step away from work and play cards with your daughter, do it. That may be the most productive choice you make all day.

Notice the areas you’re neglecting and make intentional adjustments. Balance requires hard choices—shifting energy from some areas into others—and honest acceptance of where you are right now.

8. Start

Break down projects into manageable, smaller steps. Get something crossed off your task list today. Minimize distractions and get it done!

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony" - Thomas Merton

9. Have More Fun

Most people don't have enough fun. Don't give all your best energy to your career. Make a list of fun activities that you enjoy and engage in one of them today. My fun list: Ping pong, reading, golf, darts, and watching sports. Your overall productivity will increase as you have more fun.

10. Define Your "7" In Each Part of Your Life

You might not be satisfied in an area because of unrealistic expectations. "Good enough" is better than "perfect" when it comes to living a balanced life. Write down what a "7" rather than a "10" looks like in each area. Challenge, and possibly tame your standards.

11. Do Something New

Do something outside your normal routine. Go on a walk. Volunteer. Go camping. Play a new game. Reconnect with old friends. This may feel awkward at first, but if you stick it out, you won't regret stepping outside your box. Make a list of 5 new things you can do. Be vulnerable!

12. Plan Your Calendar for the Next 12 Months

Put major commitments on your calendar. You can always make changes later, but this gets the process started. Put everything on this calendar besides work activities. This will force you to put some focus on things outside of work.

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How to Apply These Tips

Here's what I would suggest you do with this information. Application leads to transformation. You must take action for change to happen.

1. Start with a change you believe will help the most

Your intuition may tell you which tip will help the most. Trust yourself.

2. Do what's easiest for you

Maybe all the tips seem helpful. Just do something. Make the change that seems the easiest for you given your life circumstances today.

3. If you have the energy, apply one tip each day

This is for the high-octane method. Committing in a big way can be helpful.

4. Apply one tip each week

For steady application over 12 weeks, this is the way to go. Cross one tip off your list each week and journal about your progress. It's ALWAYS a good time to work on yourself!

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