1. Identify Your Values
Values are the pillars of life that guide decisions, actions, passions, and activities of daily living. They are the bumpers that keep us aligned and pave the road toward a fulfilling life. Determining what your core values are is necessary to develop balance in life.
Take the time to reflect on your life and what you value. These create the center of who you are. When you want to create a balanced life, it is important to connect with your values consistently. One cannot live a truly authentic and abundant life if it does not align with what is important to you.
Here is a list of potential values and actions you can pick from and start incorporating into your daily life
- Connection – spending quality time with friends and family or meeting someone new
- God and Spirituality – prayers, meditation, church gatherings, reading the Bible
- Authenticity – speak your truth and be willing to show your real self; self-expression
- Health – proper exercise, eating, rest, time outside, etc.
- Mental Well-being – seeing a therapist, journaling, meditation, boundaries
- Creativity – seeking inspiration, art, crafts, writing, painting, etc.
Taking what is important to you and applying it to your daily actions is the best way to incorporate a sense of balance in your life. However, maintaining a balanced lifestyle takes several other steps.
2. Set Goals
Setting goals often seems daunting and arbitrary, but only when they are not done correctly. There are several effective methods for setting goals (think SMART goals) that lead to the most success. Being able to set goals that align with your values and the person you want to be in the future is crucial.
Set goals that correspond with your values. Do you value work ethic and want to be promoted at your job? Do you value family and want to get married one day? Do you value education and want to pursue further education? Do you value connection and want to expand your community?
Asking yourself such questions can lead you to understand what types of goals you want to set for yourself. You can reflect on certain prompts that lead you to what goals you want to set as well:
- What kind of person do I want to be How do I want to feel about myself? How do I want others to perceive me?
- In what areas of my life am I unsatisfied, or know I can grow? What does success in that area look like?
- How do I define success in my career, school, or community activities?
Starting with these three questions can lead to discovering where you can and want to grow.
Then, setting specific and measurable goals in these areas will give you a direct vision of where you want to be in life. From here, you can start to implement actionable steps for each day to achieve those goals.
4. Define your Priorities
As humans, we are limited to only so many hours a day, so many tasks we can do at once, and so much energy we can expend. Therefore, we must prioritize the way we spend our time. When we get into the mindset that we have to be accomplishing the absolute most every single day, we start to lose touch with effective time management.
The hamster wheel of “tasking” is chaotic and unsustainable. We bounce between work hours, school assignments, doctor appointments, exercise routines, cooking meals, seeing friends and family, self-care, and taking time to rest. Our minds latch onto the notion that we are perpetually “doing” something to be living. Let me tell you, this is the fastest track to burnout.
To start living a balanced life, you need to set priorities for each day.
I have set up non-negotiables that I never falter at completing daily: exercise, eating complete meals and snacks, morning and evening routines, time for work or school, and time for a hobby. It has taken me a year to really develop a solid foundation of priorities each day and have the courage to set boundaries with my time and other people. It is not easy, but I promise it is worth it! I have found that I can return to a balanced life after a period of misalignment when I return to my priorities.
When setting priorities, consider your goals and your values.
- What actions must you take to accomplish the goals you have set?
- What actions align with your values and daily living?
- What activities allow you to reset and return to responsibilities with a sound mind, an able body, and a heart of passion?
- What activities allow you to succeed at your professional goals, personal goals, and relationship goals?
- What activities are pulling you away from valued and balanced living? How can you limit these activities and better manage your time?
5. Create Positive Habits
Building constructive and positive habits is the key to implementing action toward your goals. Similar to priorities, creating daily habits gives you a solid guide to everyday actions. The more consistent you are with your daily habits, the easier it is to create balance.
Develop a sound morning and evening routine that lets your body know it is time to get the day started or wind down. The more you engage with these routines, the easier it will be to tap into body cues and ensure you are getting proper rest. It is also easier to carve out time for specific priorities (exercise, reading, meditation, etc.).
Maintain a regular eating schedule to ensure you are getting enough food at regular time intervals. Teaching your body that it will receive enough food at the right times will allow you to know when and how to plan for eating. It also creates consistent times for you to take breaks in your day.
Track your habits to stay aligned with your goals and how you are staying balanced. I like to rotate habits each week based on what I need. This allows me to be flexible with my life. Tracking things like water intake, exercise, work time, and hobbies is a great place to start.
6. Give Yourself Grace
REMEMBER: we are human and cannot always be perfect! This also goes for balance; we cannot always be living a perfectly balanced life. We make mistakes, life circumstances change, priorities change, and obligations may demand more from us. It is how we face these things that really count.
When you notice that you are slipping away from balanced living, identify what is creating imbalance. Is it new work hours? Taking less time for hobbies? Connecting with friends less? Neglecting proper self-care, nutrition, and exercise?
Once you notice where you may not be engaging with your priorities, values, and goals, you can make changes. Life is always changing, and we must change with it. So give yourself grace and forgiveness when you feel out of balance, then take the necessary steps to change!