Why Work Life Balance Doesn’t Exist (And How to Stay Sane)

4 years ago

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If you’ve ever felt for illustration work-life equilibrium isn’t really possible, you whitethorn beryllium right.

Actually, I deliberation work-life equilibrium doesn’t exist. Whether you’re an entrepreneur aliases a rising prima successful nan firm world, activity is ever going to overflow from your 9 to 5 into your individual life. And if you person ambitions of becoming successful successful conscionable astir immoderate capacity, you’re going to person to make sacrifices.

Which is why, alternatively of striving for nan unrealistic extremity of “work-life balance,” I use a operation of rituals, tools, and coping mechanisms that allows maine to thrive connected a day-to-day basis.

Of course, moments still originate erstwhile I whitethorn consciousness overloaded pinch activity and a spot retired of balance, but pinch these regular rituals successful place, I americium capable to consciousness grounded alternatively of emotion for illustration I’m losing my mind.

Here are 5 regular practices I usage to enactment focused and balanced contempt a jam-packed activity schedule:

1. Pause (Frequently!) to Remember That You Chose This Path

Regardless of which way you return successful life, it’s important to punctual yourself that you are nan 1 who chose nan way you’re on.

For example, 1 of nan joys of being an entrepreneur is that you acquisition a important magnitude of freedom. Unfortunately, successful moments of stress, it’s easy to hide that prime goes some ways: you chose to spell your ain way, and you chose nan obstacles that travel pinch that journey.

Remember: tomorrow, you could take to time off your job, unopen down your company, and spell move to a workplace successful nan mediate of nowhere. The prime is yours.

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Whenever I drawback myself thinking, “Why americium I doing this?” I simply remember, “Oh, wait. I chose this.” And if I want to, I tin take different option. But astatine this moment, I ain it because I chose it.

That elemental intelligence displacement tin thief maine move from emotion retired of power to successful control. It’s empowering.

2. Use ‘Rocks’ to Prioritize Your Tasks

Sometimes having a to-do database is much overwhelming than it is helpful.

The regular tasks of anyone successful a high-stakes, high-responsibility domiciled are never-ending. Literally. No matter really galore items you cheque disconnected your list, each time adds conscionable arsenic galore caller ones, and moreover aft a afloat time it tin often consciousness for illustration you haven’t accomplished anything.

So instead, I usage “rocks”—a strategy I learned from capacity coach Bill Nelson.

Say you person a solid instrumentality and a assortment of rocks, divided into groups of large, mid-sized, and mini rocks, and past immoderate sand. If you put nan mini rocks successful first, you’re not going to beryllium capable to fresh everything successful your container. But if you put nan large rocks successful first, past nan mid-sized, and, finally, nan small, they’ll each fit. And astatine nan end, nan soil fills nan other space.

The constituent of this strategy is to designate a fistful of your biggest priorities for nan week—let’s opportunity 5 tasks—as nan things you perfectly person to get done that week. Write them down somewhere.

Then, moreover if you execute thing other but those 5 things, you’re going to consciousness better, since you completed nan important tasks. You’ve made progress!

Identifying your “rocks” is simply a amended measurement of search advancement and ensuring that you attraction connected nan astir captious things. You tin create rocks connected a play aliases moreover regular basis.

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Some days, erstwhile I’m emotion nan astir frenzied, I opportunity to myself, “You cognize what? Let’s boil it down. If I execute thing other coming and I conscionable do these 3 things, it will beryllium a bully day.”

3. The PEW12 Method

Of each nan regular practices I follow, Purge Emotional Writing (PEW12), which I learned from Dr. Habib Sadeghi, is my favorite.

Here’s really it works:

Pick a topic, group a timer for 12 minutes, and conscionable write.

You whitethorn beryllium dealing pinch a circumstantial rumor you request to vent about, aliases you whitethorn beryllium free-writing arsenic emotions surface. It doesn’t matter what you’re penning aliases what your handwriting looks like, because you’re ne'er going to re-read it.

At nan end, pain nan pages.

As nan insubstantial burns, you will consciousness each of those emotions you’ve conscionable poured retired either being reduced aliases dissipating completely. Both nan penning process—which is virtually unloading each of your unnecessary stuff—and nan burning of nan pages consciousness incredibly cathartic.

And you tin do PEW12 arsenic often aliases infrequently arsenic you consciousness you request it—once, twice, aliases aggregate times a day.

The logic I find this workout truthful adjuvant is because, sometimes, I get successful my caput astir a difficult rumor aliases troubling relationship pinch someone, moreover erstwhile I cognize location is thing to beryllium done astir it.

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But arsenic soon arsenic I do my PEW12, I consciousness a consciousness of relief. I person much clarity. And I extremity circling and circling nan rumor successful my head. It makes things consciousness resolved. Just effort it.

4. Set Sacred Time (Like a 20-Minute Walk aliases Evening Bath)

Outside of work, you person to effort to protect immoderate clip for restoration and quiet. I telephone this ineffable time.

For example, each azygous nighttime I return a bath. This is simply a chance to virtually lavation disconnected nan time and immoderate of nan power from nan people, interactions, aliases experiences that I don’t want to return to furniture pinch me.

I really remodeled a bath successful my location solely for this purpose. The bath ritual—which includes Himalayan bath salts, basal oils, and a five-minute meditation—is nan eventual “me time” and allows maine to spell to furniture emotion serene and relaxed.

And while ineffable clip to extremity nan time is crucial, I for illustration to commencement nan time pinch these types of practices, too.

In nan mornings, I return my canine Bernard for a walk—and I usage those 20 minutes to group my volition for nan day. I don’t return my telephone pinch me. I don’t deliberation astir nan endless to-do list. I conscionable bask listening to nan birds and breathing successful nan sunshine, while Bernard stops to opportunity hullo to nan neighbors and their dogs.

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These mightiness look for illustration mean regular activities, but it’s nan committedness to doing them time aft time that makes each nan difference.

5. Forgive Yourself When You Fail to Use nan Tools

Sometimes our volition to travel “daily” practices falls flat. When this happens to me, I effort not to hit myself up astir it. After all, these things are devices to make maine consciousness good. If they conscionable go different chore, what is nan point?

At nan extremity of nan day, my regular practices don’t beryllium successful my jar of rocks aliases connected my to-do database aliases successful my regular planner. They are location to service me.

If, for immoderate reason, life happens and I can’t do my practices, I won’t consciousness arsenic good. It’s imaginable I won’t slumber arsenic good that night, aliases I’ll consciousness a small blameworthy that I didn’t locomotion Bernard.

But that’s okay. It’s besides a bully believe to admit my limits and fto spell of nan request to do everything all the time.

The Bottom Line

For astir people, accepting that work-life equilibrium simply isn’t imaginable is nan first measurement to emotion much grounded and successful power of your life.

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Don’t discarded your power trying to execute thing that doesn’t exist. Instead, attraction connected really you’re emotion erstwhile things are retired of equilibrium and find a measurement to reside those feelings.

You’ll person a toolkit for emotion amended erstwhile life feels crazy, and, connected nan disconnected chance things consciousness calm and happy, your rituals will make you consciousness perfectly amazing!