Work/life balance issues abound in today's environment, with millions of people feeling overwhelmed by an imbalanced life. Symptoms include feeling depressed, being overwhelmed by responsibilities, lacking energy and enthusiasm for daily activities, and feeling that life is lacking something important.
Top 10 Factors for Life Balance
This top 10 list summarizes important components of a balanced life, listed in reverse order.
10. Manage Time Effectively. Keep track of the time spent on life's roles and responsibilities, making sure that time and energy are applied in support of work/life balance.
9. Set and Enforce Boundaries. There are many demands on a person's time and energy. Acquire the ability to say no to requests that will imbalance life.
8. Habituate Self Awareness. Develop the ability to be aware of self, recognizing feelings and behaviors as they occur. Question behaviors keeping them aligned with life purpose and in support of a life balance vision.
7. Focus on Positive Thinking. A positive attitude makes it easier to succeed in the goals and life changes necessary to bring life into better balance.
6. Question Beliefs. Core beliefs, which reside quietly in the subconscious, guide behavior with little conscious awareness. Core beliefs which are formed during childhood are a person's broad truths about life. Question these silent guidelines to assure that they support a well balanced life.
5. Honor Values. Living in alignment with one's values is important to a feeling of personal integrity. Values are those things important to a person's definition of self. When aligned with values, life feels right and whole. If not aligned with values, life is stressful.
4. Utilize Unique Strengths. Unique strengths are those skills and abilities at which a person excels. Though functioning adults have many competencies, only a handful of these come so naturally and easily that they fall into the category of unique strengths. When unique strengths are heavily utilized in daily activities, one's life will feel more balanced.
3. Engage in Passionate Activities. When life is filled with one's passions, the result is high energy, great enthusiasm, and lots of fun, characteristics of a well balanced life.
2. Be Clear on Life Purpose. Life purpose is the foundation of a balanced life. Clarity of purpose permits a person to align life's roles and responsibilities, bringing meaning and satisfaction, the emotions characteristic of a balanced life.
1. Have a Vision. Though work/life balance is a significant problem for millions, there is not a universal definition of life balance. Life balance is a personal determination, an individual feeling that life's activities are meaningful, appropriate, and right. Without a clear vision of the goal, one is unlikely to achieve a balanced life.
10 Components of Life Balance
Address these ten components to bring life into greater work/life balance.
For more on life balance, read How to Have a Balanced Life and The Fundamentals of a Balanced Life.
