How to find balance in life and how to keep it
Each of us understands that life is a complex system consisting of many events, actions, different emotions and states. And everyone, of course, wants to live it qualitatively, without unnecessary stress. And this is impossible without balance, which I propose to talk about. There are some tips to help balance the different components of life and achieve a more stable state.
Analyze all areas in life
To build plans for the future and a personal development strategy, you need to start with a detailed inventory. At this stage, it is recommended to analyze all important areas:
- work and career;
- relationships (family, friendships, interaction with colleagues);
- health;
- finances;
- Creativity and hobbies;
- leisure.
This list can be expanded depending on what problems you see in your life. For example, many people will add the place of residence to this list – this is relevant if you want to live in another city or another country, but so far this goal has not been achieved.
I recommend that you write down your analysis in writing, on large sheets of paper, where you will describe the details of each area: what you are satisfied with, and what you would like to improve. Writing out your thoughts in abstracts will allow you to cover more information. It’s also worth spending a few days on this. If you reread your notes several times, new ideas and thoughts will come along with it.
Take an honest look at what you do and don’t do for balance.
The hardest part of this task is taking a completely honest look at your actions and decisions. Try not to look to relatives, co-workers or other people for the causes of your failures – take responsibility for your life. After all, the relationship with those around you, you also have an impact. Perhaps after careful analysis you will come to some disappointing conclusions – for example, that you need to change your environment and buddies or give up your current job. Yes, it will be a painful and difficult decision, but if it is the only one that will get you results, get you out of stress, and help you move forward, it will still have to be made.
Important: What I’m talking about does not imply a “cut and run” attitude. Any serious decision that involves other people or key events in life should be analyzed in as much detail as possible, gathering as much information as possible. Remember that it’s not just the action itself that’s important, but also the result that may follow.
Make a plan for each activity
If you make a general plan for all the changes in your life, your attention will be scattered and a lot will be overlooked. You need to allocate forces and make a plan for each task: finances, health, attitude, etc. I should mention right away that in each direction you need to choose realistic amounts of tasks that you can do, as well as different timing options. For example, you want to move into a new profession, and so you start learning from scratch.
Make plans for a year, six months, three months, and a month. Look at the situation objectively each time – don’t set the bar as a complete retraining in three months if other people on average go this way in ten months. It’s better to take the average, add time to spare, and spread your efforts over that period. Then you can get results smoothly without the stress of not meeting your deadline.
Prioritize and start small
When all the plans are made, you need to start working with them, choosing the area that is suffering the most, but at the moment is very important. If all is well in your personal life, but there are problems with work, start with your career. Just make sure that other areas do not start to suffer again: develop those that require attention, and support those that are already at an appropriate level.
Always be on top of things.
A great tool for this purpose is the balance wheel. It’s a kind of chart on which you fill in all the important areas of life on a scale of 1 to 10. In such a view, it is very easy to understand how different areas relate, where there are gaps, and what is given too much time. It is advisable to fill in such a wheel regularly: once every two weeks or a month – it will help to see the dynamics.
Change your strategy if things don’t work out
If you find that previously made plans don’t work or don’t work as effectively, don’t be afraid to redo them. You can reassess all areas of your life at any time – either at the beginning or in the middle of your journey.
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
Once you realize you’ve made a mistake, just take the situation as a lesson – and then act on the new information. If you learn to think of mistakes as new inputs that get you closer to your goal, you get rid of a lot of worries and doubts.
Working on balance is not an easy task that requires focus, a competent approach. But the result that can be achieved is worth the effort. Each of us has one life, and therefore it is necessary to live it qualitatively: joyfully, in a good environment, with decent financial opportunities. And it is up to us to make sure that the results we want are achieved.