5 Simple steps to help balance your life
Who wouldn't love to find that perfect balance between work and play, challenge and quiet contemplation, growth and financial stability? Entrepreneurs are especially at risk of losing their equilibrium.
There are, however, a few things you can do every day to help create a sense of balance in your everyday life. Holding tight to the following 5 daily habits will go a long way towards setting you up for success in the long-term.
1. Get enough sleep
You need to get to know yourself and your sleep needs. This is somewhat easier for people working a standard work week; shift-workers will have a harder time of this one. I think it’s vital, however, to find that amount of time that you need to sleep in order to wake up rested and on-time without an alarm clock. Experiment. If you find yourself consistently hitting the snooze button, you’re not giving yourself enough time and need to retire earlier at night. If you have a hard time doing this, something else isn’t in balance. Reflect. Figure out what needs changing.
2. Sweat every day
Even if it’s only 20 minutes a day. Squeezing in a workout will do more for your daily sense of well-being than almost anything else I know. You will feel invigorated, vibrant, healthy, tight and empowered. It will also make you think harder about the foods you choose for the rest of the day. If you can get your workout outside… even better. The fresh air is a great mood-booster.
3. Clean up your inbox
Every day, review your in-box and sent items. Delete what can be deleted and file whatever you need for reference in an easily-understood email filing system. Keep your in-box to only items that continue to sit on your to-do pile; with good planning, this should be able to fit on one screen. I like to also keep a folder that I title “Awaiting response” or something to that effect, where I put emails that I need to follow up on. Each day, I review in the morning to see what I might follow up on that day and I review it again at the end of the day to file the emails that have been responded to.
4. Learn something new
Spend 10-15 minutes reading something about your business or industry. Seek out an area where you are challenged or less-knowledgeable and vow to read something new about it each day. Use this as your down time when you stop for coffee or a bite to eat. Seek out people online who know what you want to learn and find what they’re saying. I find Twitter and LinkedIn to be excellent resources for quickly finding interesting reading material.
5. Connect with someone
Take at least 15 minutes to really connect with someone you love. Shut out other distractions and connect with them. Talk. Listen. Engage. Even if you don’t have a partner you can connect with your kids or phone a friend… or call your mom! I bet your mom would love to hear from you. We spend so much time communicating digitally, it’s important to remember that our lives are filled with real people. We need to continue to talk together, laugh together, live together.
