Got Balance - Part 2

Last month we focused on what “balance” means and how to assess whether you have a balanced life. You may recall the wheel image with ten spokes and you as the hub. Let's take a look at the wheel again. The ten spokes consist of:

• Health/Body
• Fitness
• Profession/Career/Business
• Money/Financials
• Friends/Family
• Significant Other/Romance
• Physical Environment
• Fun/Recreation
• Personal Growth
• Spirituality

You should have indicated your current level of satisfaction with each spoke on a scale of 1 (not satisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied). What did your wheel look like? Will it move forward easily? Was it balanced?

In my coaching work, I find that many of my clients struggle to maintain a balanced life. Typically it is a result of needing to strengthen one or more of the following 5 areas of their life: boundaries, priorities, organization and time management, tolerations, and self-awareness. So you are probably wondering what these clients do to strengthen these areas and bring balance back into their life.

 

First, you have to understand that there is no instantaneous fix that will put your life in balance. Since being in balance is constantly evolving for all of us, what you do to maintain balance must evolve as well. That said, here are definitions of and tips to strengthen the 5 areas of your life in order to help you create and maintain balance:

5 Areas;">5 Areas	Causes of Imbalance	Ways to Strengthen
Boundaries	Not being able to say “no” Over committing & feeling overwhelmed Allowing something to go on or exist that you are unhappy about	Identify what is important to you and stay committed to it; when something or someone comes up that is going to move you away from what you are committed to say no or negotiate to a place you are satisfied with.
Priorities	A three or four page list of things to do that just keeps growing and growing Don't feel like you are in control of the list at all	Move from a list of to do's to a list of priorities. Rank and rate your to do list begin to schedule to do's according to their priority and the time you have available. Rate and rank often as your priorities will be forever shifting.
Organization/ Time Management	Always late Can't find the simplest of items Stacks of papers all around the desk	If you can't do it yourself get help from someone who can help you organize. Schedule time to stay organized. Keep all of your appointments (work & home) on one calendar. Identify in advance how much time you need to prepare, travel, etc to make an appointment on time, work backwards from the appointment time, identify what you need to stop what you are doing and move to the next thing in order to be on time.
Tolerations	Items in your life you are putting up with (tolerating) that weigh heavily on your conscious. For instance: a copier at work that jams every time they use it; a report that they can never get to run the right way; or a broken knob on a drawer at home. This could be the cause of distress and imbalance and you don't even realize it consciously.	Create a list of the items you are putting up with and wasting energy on for Home and for Work. Identify ways to resolve these items. You may find some to be small, simple, or easy and others that if touched will have an avalanche effect. Be aware of what you are getting into as you do it.
Self- awareness	Until doing the wheel of life assessment you may not have really thought about how to define balance and therefore didn't have a starting point to understand what about the current situation was or wasn't attributing to being out of balance.	Do the assessment on a regular basis. Continue to heighten your level of self-awareness. Do so with the positive notion that it is to ultimately improve your balance.

I once had a client say, “This seems like a lot of work. If this is what it takes to be balanced I'd rather stay frustrated and unbalanced.” Not surprising. It does take some work to create and maintain balance in your life. I would encourage you, as I did my client, to take one small step at a time. Don't bite off more than you can chew. It only leads to disappointment and a higher likelihood that you'll stop altogether. Put a realistic plan in place to strengthen one thing that will move you toward balance and when you feel you have accomplished it take on another item. Finding balance is not a one time shot with a miracle cure. It is a lifetime evolutionary process that must be openly embraced and maintained in order to constantly keep up with what balance means for you.

Coach Effect works with individuals who are capable of and want to achieve more in life. Our Leadership Sherpas help you achieve your goals faster than you could do on your own. If you want support in creating a plan to put balance back in your life, contact Jennifer Mounce, for a complimentary session with no obligation.

Written by Jennifer Mounce, President, Coach Effect. Coach Effect is a coaching, consulting and development firm focused on engaging employees through leadership and organizational effectiveness. For more information, please contact us.