The Truth About Work-Life Balance and How to Find it for Yourself

Back in my early twenties, I don’t remember “work-life balance” even being a thought on my radar.

I was fresh out of college and my only responsibilities were getting to work on time and making sure the rent check was paid. I could even live on ramen if I needed to.

*SIGH* Bless the younger me.

As I’ve gotten older and gained (what feels like) a MILLION responsibilities, I’ve been hearing a lot more about work-life balance. How do we gain it, what do we do with it, what does it look like. And lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of speakers say that it’s more of a myth – That work-life balance doesn’t even exist.

Well, I’m not as green as I was in my twenties, and I’m positive I have a lot more to learn about life, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that work-life balance absolutely exists. It just looks different for each person and the balance we create depends on our current life situation.

Below are 6 truths I’m learning about work-life balance, and I hope you can use them to create a life you love.

1. Know what’s important to Y-O-U.

Or in other words: Prioritize! This is the first and most crucial step, because if everything’s important, nothing’s important.

I desperately want to do all the things. I want to exercise, read, journal, work, be a kick-butt mom and wife, etc. etc. etc. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: I can’t do it all. Trust me, I want to. And I’ll even sacrifice sleep to try to make it happen. But every single time I’ve tried to play this “I can do it all” game, I lose. I end up overwhelmed and so exhausted that I give up on everything.

So I truly do believe that the first thing we need to learn about living a balanced life, is figuring out how to balance the things we can actually handle, and then letting the rest go.

As a side note: When you’re setting your priorities, remember to take into consideration only the things that are important to you. Not what’s important to the neighbor next door, your best friend, or even your Mom. You, and only you should decide what you want to focus on in your own life.

2. Be fully there, wherever you are.

The basic premise of “being fully there” is this: When you’re at work, be at work. When you’re at home, be at home.

So simple, right? Yet SO HARD.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, being present is not something I’d win an award for. However, I do feel like I’m learning a lot in this area because I’m so aware that it’s a downfall for me.

So what am I learning? I’m learning that the best way to stay balanced is to fully commit to where I am in that moment. When I’m with the kids, I try to leave my phone in the other room so I can be focused on them. I also try to leave household to-do’s for after they go to bed so I’m not taking away from the short amount of time I see them each day.

3. Know what season you’re in.

And I don’t mean the weather. (Although I could probably go on a 12,000 word rant right now regarding this ever-loving winter! But I digress…)

I’m talking about your current life situation. Are you in a season of life where you’re needed more at home? Are you able to work more at this time in your life? What do you have going on right now that requires most of your energy?

Knowing what season you’re in can help you determine what needs the most of your time and what can wait.

As a mom of 3 littles, I know that I’m really needed at home when I’m not at work. So, yeah, I don’t get out much. But I also know that this phase will change some day, and the physical demands of small children won’t be my biggest focus. And hopefully by then, the clothes in my closet from my previous “going out” days will still be in style. Hey, a girl can dream, right? 😉

4. Prioritize your day.

Every morning, I try to take a few short moments to think about what has to get done that day. What do I need to do and what can wait? What can I delegate?

Taking a few minutes each morning to organize and mentally plan for the day is one of the best ways I’ve found to center myself before the day kicks into high gear and I’m left scrambling to keep up.

Making sure we’re spending the time we want on the things that are important to us keeps us grounded and balanced.

For more tips and tricks on this, I did a decluttering series back in January. I talk about decluttering your schedule here and decluttering your To-Do List here.

5. Let go of the fear that you’re not doing enough.

Girl. I’m gonna go ahead and stand on my little soapbox for a moment and channel my inner Rachel Hollis. (#sorrynotsorry)

Why are we women so fabulous at talking ourselves into thinking we’re not enough? Why do we think we need to constantly be doing MORE?

Listen, you and me: We are doing the best that we can and we need to believe that!

No this doesn’t mean everything is perfect, but it does mean that we’re doing the best we can in each situation, and that we’re being diligent in creating a life we love.

If you really want work-life balance, let go of these fears that you’re not doing enough. You’re doing enough. You ARE enough. You got this!

6. Find time to rest and take care of yourself.

I 100% believe in this statement.

But I also 100% believe that this is not an easy thing to do. Woof. The struggle of self-care, you guys…

Even though it’s tough, I still think practicing some form of self-care is crucial to living a life of balance. How can we stay balanced if we can’t find even 15 minutes a day to care for ourselves?

From my heart to yours, I want you to know that you’re too important to let yourself go by the wayside. And you will burnout if you keep going at a pace where you don’t take care of yourself.

So find out whatever it is you need to do to take care of YOU. But do it! I encourage you to find the time and make it a priority.

Wrapping Up.

Work-life balance. I really believe it’s a thing. Actually, scratch that. I really believe it’s an achievable thing, especially if we’re intentional and keep reaching for living our best life because we know we’re worth it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, my inner twenty-something is craving some ramen. (I wish I was joking but I’m really not. Some things never change. 😉 )

**Over to you: Which truth resonated with you the most? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!