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As with anything you organize, your work-life balance schedule will eventually get to a point where you’re content with it and you’re happily in your new groove.
You’re happy, loving your work and your life.
Everything is fantastic.
You’ve found your new groove. Way to go Kuzco!
Then it happens.
After a few weeks or months, your new groove doesn’t feel so groovy anymore.. and you’re left feeling like this:
You’re not balanced anymore.
Instead, your stress levels are through the roof!
Your mind starts playing tricks on you and you’re sitting there wondering if you’ll ever get things back in order again.
Truth Time:
Work-life balances need to be checked in on every now and again as life progresses.
So fear not! It might just be time to grab your journal and revisit your vision.
Here We Go!
Do This Regularly
Life comes at you fast.
You ever leave/stop work on a Friday, blink, and it’s Monday again?
Life can change pretty quickly, so what might work one month might be totally off for the next one.
Maybe you took on a new responsibility you weren’t anticipating.
Whatever happened to throw off your balance, take it as a sobering reminder that while you’re comfortable at the moment, you should be taking time on a regular basis to reevaluate where you are.
Has your overall vision changed?
Use your journal (or you can purchase the bundle at the bottom of the post and print out the Notes pages) and jot down:
- What changed in the last month
- How you’re feeling about it
- How it changes what you envisioned previously
Expect the Unexpected
Keep this in the back of your mind: everything is temporary.
Today, your life is balanced, but tomorrow might be another story, right?
Life happens and you need to make adjustments or lose the balance you’ve worked so hard for in the past.
Example: you have everything figured out and you find out you’re pregnant. That’s what happened to me.
By the time we got home from our honeymoon, I had our first year of married life mapped out. A week later, I was at the mall with some friends and couldn’t walk. Seriously, I barely made it back to the car.
Upon my friend’s suggestion, I took a pregnancy test. Positive. My best friend sat there laughing as I cursed and grabbed another one. Four more positive tests later, I just sat on my couch, stunned, watching my plans fly out the window.
Naturally, being faced with the prospect of having a child before I was ready was going to turn any kind of balance I had on it’s head. I had to make some adjustments and concessions to make way for the fresh set of responsibilities that were about to come my way.
The Key is Balance
Yes, you have to reevaluate and adjust after major life changes (or even possible life-changing events), but that doesn’t mean you should wait on that.
The goal is to get ahead of things before they consume you and send you spiraling.
Add a “Balance Session” to your monthly calendar.
You might not be facing huge changes at the moment, but it’s better to take your time correcting small changes than it is to wait for the big ones. In fact, implementing little tweaks might make the process of big corrections easier on you.
Making minor adjustments here and there will hopefully save you from having to turn your plans on their head if big changes come. You could very well save your sanity.
Adjust Accordingly
Change isn’t easy.
People stay in nightmare relationships because they fear change. They just get used to being treated a certain way.
A good life lesson is to be open and ready for change, as it will help you keep your life balanced. It’s a tough lesson for some.
Life can be unpredictable and inconsistent. You’ll learn to take the unexpected twists and turns in stride and be able to modify what you need to along the way.
Some natural adjustments may come along as your life evolves.
Example: young children need more attention than teenagers. As your children get older, you might find you have more time to yourself. They are more independent and don’t need as much from you. Stop crying. It’s a natural part of life.
It’s better to make changes sooner rather than later, no matter what the reason.
Dragging out the process just lets your life get more screwed up and that’s definitely going to take it’s toll on your mental health.
We don’t want that.
Stock Photo:
resources
Struggling to find that work-life balance? Having a hard time shutting down the “work” side of your brain?
I have a bundle for you!
- Worksheets
- Journal
- E-book
- Coloring Pages
I have compiled a list of Mental Health Resources. They can be found in this post HERE