If you're like me, you are still dreaming of your soft life era, where you can wake up and enjoy another God-given day of endless shopping, spa days, and traveling. It's important to achieve balance while you are working toward those dreams fulfilled! Here are 5 tips I recommend (and use myself!) to stay sane in the meantime.
1. Prioritize and set boundaries.
This is something that does not always come easy, especially when you are used to being everything for everybody! But it's important to understand that in order to get where you are going, mastering the art of prioritizing and putting boundaries in place for all of your responsibilities and relationships is a must.
First, identify your top priorities in family, career, and self-care. What are the most important tasks and activities in each area?
Next, set clear boundaries to protect your time and energy. Communicate these boundaries to your family, colleagues, and clients. For example, establish specific work hours and non-negotiable family time. At first, they may not like it, but everyone will grow to respect it (and you will start to feel better and more focused!)
2. Manage your time effectively. Stop "going with the flow" and put some structure in place.
Listen, going with the flow had me burnt out! It's one thing to be open to change and another thing to not have any structure or organization in place to accomplish your goals. Remember that dream life you want? It doesn't happen without proper planning.
Use time management techniques like to-do lists, calendars, or productivity apps to organize your daily tasks and responsibilities. Consider time-blocking, where you allocate specific blocks of time to different areas of your life. This ensures that you dedicate enough time to each without feeling overwhelmed. I set alarms on my phone all throughout the day to keep me on track.
3. Delegate and seek support.
I grew up being taught don't ask people for things so as an adult it's hard to ask for help. This was another lesson I learned the hard way. Honestly it wasn't until I hit rock bottom and had no choice that I began to seek the support I needed to build the life I want.
Don't be afraid to delegate tasks, both at home and at work. Trust me, it's someone that can get the job done. Those kids that you think are too young, aren't!!! Delegate household chores to family members or hire help if necessary. Seek support from your spouse, family, or friends when needed. Building a support network can help alleviate some of the demands on your time and energy.
4. Remember self care is non-negotiable.
Don't wait until you get sick or have a breakdown to take care of yourself, and please don't keep what you need bottled up inside, at the bottom of your to-do list. Treat self-care as a non-negotiable part of your schedule, just like work meetings or family commitments. Prioritize activities that recharge you, whether it's exercise, meditation, reading, or pursuing a hobby. And remember: getting your hair & nails done is NOT SELF CARE, that is SELF MAINTENANCE.
Need some extra support prioritizing self care? Buy my self care journal to create intentional self care habits that cater to you.
5. Learn to say no and let go!
Say it with me.....NO! Say it again.....NO! The more you hear yourself say this, the easier it gets to say it. Saying no isn't for other people, it's for you! This is yet again, a muscle you have to stretch. I still sometimes find it hard to say, but I know that when I say "no" to things that are not for me, it's for my good.
It's okay to say no to additional commitments that don't align with your priorities or might overburden you. Politely decline opportunities that don't serve your goals. Or say no to that but offer something additional that you can do! Practice letting go of perfectionism and the need to control everything. Accept that there will be days when things don't go as planned, and that's perfectly normal.
This is yet again, a muscle you have to stretch. I still sometimes find it hard to say, but I know that when I say "no" to things that are not for me, it's for my good.