Most people define living a balanced lifestyle by how they allocate their time…But let’s be honest, how many of us can say that we truly spend 50% of our time focused on work and 50% on our personal lives? It’s just not the world that we live in.
What if instead, you defined living a balanced lifestyle based on fulfillment rather than time?
We all have different visions for the lives we want to be living. Your goals, commitments, priories, and the things that are important in your life will all impact how you define what balance looks like.
Regardless of your personal vision, here are some ideas to help you create more balance in your life…
Get clear on where you are now and where you want to be
Creating balance starts with taking a deep look at each aspect of your life. Think about each of the areas below and picture the things you love about them as well as what might need improvement. Take a few minutes to reflect, then rate them on a scale from 1-10 based on how fulfilled are you in each.
- Career/Business
- Significant other/Romantic relationship
- Friends and family/community
- Fun/Social
- Personal growth/spirituality
- Health and fitness/Self-care
- Finances
- Home and Environment
Create goals and a plan
Most of us create goals to move up in our career or succeed in a weight loss journey, but we forget about the other areas that are important to us. When was the last time you created a goal for your relationships? What about your home or even your social life?
Goals are important because they motivate us to take action.
Connecting with your “why” can help you truly understand why each area of your life is important to you and keep you moving toward achieving your goals.
What actions will you take that will help bring your fulfillment to a “10” in each area?
Prioritize
Take some time and decide what the most important things in your life are and practice making them a priority. When you start to prioritize, you’ll realize how much time you spend on things that aren’t that important to you!
Integrate fun and connection into every area of your life
I believe connection and fun are keys to finding fulfillment and I try to incorporate them into everything I do. Build friendships with your co-workers. Make friends with the people you see at the gym. Listen to fun music while you work.
What can you do to make each area of your life more fun and enjoyable?
Make time to connect with loved ones
We are all busy and it can be hard to find time to completely disconnect from our busy lives. Make time to connect with the people you love even if it’s a phone call on your way home from work or putting your cell phone away during a family dinner.
Practice being present and being intentional with your time
One of the hardest things to do these days is to be present. We are all so attached to technology that it can be difficult to disconnect.
Practice being intentional with your time. I know it’s easier said then done, but when your intention is to spend time with your family put your phone away and and enjoy the time you have with your family. When you’re working…turn off social media and your text notifications and stay focused on the task your trying to complete. Heck, I’m even practicing putting my phone away when I unwind and watch TV.
Make your wellbeing your #1 priority
If you do just one thing, I encourage you to make your wellbeing, which includes self-care and self-love, your top priority. Our wellbeing is the foundation of everything we do and the foundation of our wellbeing is how we treat ourselves!
If we aren’t giving our body what it needs to be it’s best, it’s not going to be able to preform it’s best at work or at home. It takes a heck of a lot more energy and you’re a lot less efficient when you’re running on fumes. Here are some suggestions to help increase your wellbeing.
- Make time for YOU!
- Make time for physical activity (even just 20 minutes of walking)
- Drink plenty of water
- Take vacations to fill your cup
- Take a lunch break
- Get a good night sleep
- Practice saying “NO!” to the things that aren’t supportive of your goals and what you want in your life
- Eliminate the energy drainers in your life
- Make time for fun
- Let go of trying to be perfect
A balanced lifestyle won’t happen overnight, but if you continue to practice, the small changes will add up! Set clear intentions, create goals, be present and practice, practice, practice.
Nicole Comis, Certified Life & Executive Coach, helps business owners and other career-driven professionals achieve their BIG career goals while integrating more balance into their lives. She partners with her clients to gain clarity on what they want their future to look like, face their fears, identify obstacles holding them back, and create a plan to help them achieve BIG, stretchy goals that are outside of their comfort zone. Her coaching practice incorporates her client’s whole life, not just their career, leading to a more balanced, productive, healthy, and happy life. Nicole is a graduate and certified coach from the Accomplishment Coaching Coaches Training Program and is accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Nicole’s high-energy, judgment-free, fun, no-BS approach helps men and women live a more balanced life with a career they love, fulfilling relationships, a healthy well-being, and killer confidence!
