You know it, and I know it: The need for motherly work-life balance is more important than ever. It seems as though moms like us have more on our plates now than ever before, so it’s truly necessary to make sure we have a good grip on the following: what we do, how we do it, and when we choose to do it.
And since nobody has yet responded to my request to add a few more hours to the day, we need to acknowledge that now is the time to finally make that work-life balance happen. The good news? It’s totally doable.
But before we look at some simple steps for making it happen, let’s take a peek at just some of the benefits of a more balanced life:
BENEFIT #1: Work-life balance inevitably improves your mental health, making you capable of clear thought.
BENEFIT #2: Work-life balance allows you the time to improve your physical health.
BENEFIT #3: A truly balanced lifestyle lets you be fully present wherever you are, be it at home, at work, or with friends and family.
BENEFIT #4: Work-life balance makes your relationships with your family, friends, and co-workers healthier and generally more positive.
BENEFIT #5: Work-life balance helps free up some of that creativity that gets stifled when we’re super stressed.
I’m pretty sure these all sound like amazing benefits of a better work-life balance. If you’re itching to make these things happen in your life, here are 5 steps to take:
STEP #1: Rid yourself of all those time-consuming things that you really can do without. You don’t need them, and you really don’t need to worry about finding the time to do them.
STEP #2: Build strong boundaries that keep all those unimportant items away. In other words, come up with certain criteria that allow you to cross some items off your to-do list.
STEP #3: Put time into properly prioritizing your daily and weekly plans, and be sure to write out a plan for the week. Every successful person has some sort of a plan, so here’s your chance to create yours. Remember: If you don’t schedule certain things to happen, chances are they never will.
STEP #4: Put honest effort into being more present in all facets of your life. When you consciously decide to do something like be more present, you tend to increase the likelihood you’ll do it. Oh, and having a buddy who can hold you accountable helps a lot, too.
STEP #5: Creativity is therapeutic. It’s also the kind of thing we sometimes need to make space for. Build into your schedule specific times when you can work on your music, art, poetry, creative writing – whatever. Like the other things in your life, if you don’t deliberately map out this time, it likely won’t happen.
So there you have it. I’m convinced that taking the 5 steps described above will help unlock the 5 benefits detailed above. A happier, healthier, and more productive life is waiting for all of us. All we need to do is determine that we’re going to make it happen.
Enjoy the balance!
The Music Mom: Eileen Carey 