Human beings are the masters of disguise when it comes to imbalances. We’re so adept at disguising things happening within us. Like guilt from neglecting people that matter gets disguised by the mask of a happy trooper chugging along doing work that matters. Or feeling insecure by not achieving a specific shape & form of success disguised as ambition. Whatever the case may be, it’s time we learned how essential it is to find the right balance between our work life and what I call “the reality of our life.”

“Work-life balance is not an entitlement or benefit. Your company can not give it to you, you have to create it for yourself.” 

This popular quote from author Matthew Kelly simply means that a work-life balance is something that you are expected to achieve. Put differently; while you may put in all the time and energy you choose into your work, there may never come a time when you’re going to receive a memo or email from your boss saying, “Spend more with your family,” or “Take your kids on vacation,” or “Get some rest. You look like you need it.” So you have to find a way to send yourself these emails and do so regularly. Because these things are precisely what people regret not doing when taking their final breaths. Also, nobody on their death bed has thus far said (on the record), “I should have spent more time at work.’, or “I should have made more money.” 

To me, work-life balance goes beyond planning for your career; it’s planning for your life in totality, for your children, your family, friends, achieving self-care, and incorporating all these into your daily living. Work-life balance is a lifestyle, and in fact, one you mustn’t fail to adopt. 

This lifestyle is about setting your priorities and setting them right. Ask yourself right now - What are my priorities? What’s truly important to you in life? And by this, I mean priorities other than that assignment you have to complete at work or that proposal you have to submit. Family? Health? Leisure? Reflect on as many things outside of work and if something ranks as important, hare your precious time with it. 

No, it doesn’t have to be a 50-50 split. Instead, the aim is to create equilibrium between these things because they are equally crucial for your general well-being. So schedule your priorities rather than prioritize what’s on your schedule, like Stephen Covey would say.

I also love to think of balance as a mindset. Yes, I say this because balance starts in your mind. You can’t have too many things going on in there at the same time and expect to achieve that coordination and balance in real life. 

Jim Rohn says, “Either you run the day or the day runs you,” and I can’t agree more. That is why I always have my day’s schedule planned out from start to finish before the day even begins. In this schedule, I plan my priorities, which helps me set and create the appropriate mindset required to make the most of the day. 

Each morning before I begin, I practice what I’ve learned from Brendon Burchard’s High-Performance Planner. It’s a journal I’ll recommend to anyone struggling to get that balance in life. In fact, it’s something I recommend everyone uses. I get to ask myself questions and answer them, and these answers guide me throughout my day. I think about what excites me about the day, what kind of person I want to be throughout the day, why I need to put in my best throughout the day, what foreseen challenges I may face during the day, how I could deal with unforeseen challenges, what kind of acts I can do to or ways I can create value during the day, etc. 

Answering these questions not only gets me set for the day but also helps me embrace balance in every area of my life. That’s exactly what planning does. And yes, I don’t only get to plan my day, but I have the chance to reflect on it when the day is done. That way, I can fill in the missing gaps, appreciate what I did right, figure out what I did wrong, and learn how to do it better next time.

These habits and routines not only help me achieve a much-needed balance but help me grow and develop. 

Try these today! I guarantee you it will make a difference, provided you stick to it and are brutally honest with yourself and to yourself. Because you deserve nothing less than that.