Do you ever feel like, no matter how organized you are, you just can’t seem to achieve work life balance? Is your to-do list overwhelming you? Do you ever feel like you just can’t make time for the things that matter to you? This post is all about how to make priorities in your life and discover where you can make changes to find work life balance consistently. Read on to find out how to make time for the things you value most.
How many times have you heard people complaining about how busy they are?
Have you ever been the one complaining?
Chances are that you have experienced the stress of feeling like you can’t get enough done in a day.
This has been a problem that has existed for centuries. It’s only natural that we feel like we need more time.
Life’s too short, and there’s so much to do!
What if I told you that this is a problem we create for ourselves?
Maybe you will disagree (which is totally valid, by the way!), or maybe you will consider what this means for your life.
When we accept that our busyness is created by our own actions, we can feel hopeful that it’s possible to remove the busyness from our lives.
Today, I want to share with you one strategy that you can try to discover what changes you can make in your life to create a schedule that no longer feels busy or overwhelming.
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How to Find Work Life Balance When You’re Too Busy
Just as a minimalist learns to declutter their physical space, they also try their best to clear out their mental space.
This includes their schedule.
Simple living strives for the same thing. Both lifestyles focus on holding on to the things that matter most and discarding the rest.
This includes tasks and routines.
Before you begin these steps, you must first understand that it is going to require some sacrifice on your part.
You may have to let go of things that you have been holding on to for far too long.
It is not an easy thing to do, but I can promise you that your life will be more fulfilling if you follow through with it.
Let me take you through the four steps that can help you declutter your schedule and find better work life balance.
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Step 1: Determine Your Priorities
Before you get into the nitty-gritty of your schedule, it’s going to be important for you to know what you value.
You will need to know what areas of your life are non-negotiable.
What things are you not willing to give up because they are more important?
Most people, for example, are going to put ‘family‘ on the top of that list. Having time to spend with loved ones is important to many.
For some, ‘work‘ may be high on the list.
For myself, I actually put ‘self-care’ surprisingly high on my list. This is because I know that I need A LOT of time alone in order to function properly in society.
I even get physically sick when I haven’t spent enough time by myself.
As a result, this part of my life is non-negotiable.
You will want to choose two or three things in your life that are of the utmost importance.
Anything else can be rearranged or even let go of entirely.
My three main priorities in life are family, God, and personal time (self-care). This means that these three things are most important to me and cannot be given up, but everything else has some wiggle room.
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Step 2: Write Down the Things You Spend Time On
Imagine a typical day in your life and write down all of the different activities you do between waking up and going to bed.
Don’t worry, you can keep them pretty general.
For example, you don’t need to say “Make breakfast, brush teeth, and shower”. Instead, you can call that “Self-care” (or “chores” if you don’t find those tasks enjoyable).
Think of as many things as you can and make a list.
Remember to consider weekends, as well. Do you do anything different on those days?
This part doesn’t need to be pretty.
Just get everything written down and ready for the next step.
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Step 3: Put Those Items into Categories
On a piece of paper, you’re going to draw four squares.
The first square is labelled “Low Priority, High Time”. The second is labelled “Low Priority, Low Time”. The third says “High Priority, High Time”. The last one says “High Priority, Low Time”. Once you’ve drawn these four squares, you’re going to put all of the activities you wrote down into their appropriate square.
Let me explain a little bit about each square and what they mean:
Low Priority, High Time
This square is for activities that take up a lot of your time but aren’t actually that important to you.
They are items that you don’t feel add much value to your life.
If you feel like you spend too much time doing that thing each day, it goes in this square.
Here are some common tasks that usually go in this square:
- watching television
- scrolling through social media
- checking emails often
- Playing videogames
- Lying around doing nothing
- Snacking on junk food
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Low Priority, Low Time
This box is reserved for things that you don’t value, but you also don’t spend a lot of time on.
For example, if you only watch a 20-minute episode on television a day, you aren’t spending much time on it.
If you only spend 10 minutes organizing your email per day, then it would also go in this box.
If you feel like the amount of time you spend on the task matches its level of priority, then it goes here.
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High Priority, High Time
This spot is for things that you feel are important in your life that you spend a lot of time on.
For example, if you spend a lot of time with your family, and they are a priority in your life, then that task goes here.
If work is important to you, and you spend a great deal of time there, then it goes here.
Here are some common activities that might go in this category:
- Exercise to maintain good health
- Family time
- Social time with friends or coworkers
- Working on personal passion projects
- Working on professional goals
- Homemaking tasks
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High Priority, Low Time
This square has all of the activities that you value but don’t actually invest much time in.
Maybe you value family a lot, but you feel like you never get to see them.
Perhaps you value work, but you let other people convince you to skip a couple of hours for other things every day.
If you are left wishing for more time in this area, then it belongs in this square.
Step 4: Analyze Your Squares
Now that you’ve got everything categorized, it’s time to take a look at what you’ve got written down.
Analyzing your information should be pretty quick and easy.
Ideally, you should be able to tell at first glance whether or not your top three priorities are getting the right amount of attention.
Look in your “High Priority, High Time” square.
If the activities in this square are mostly about your top three priorities, then you are giving a good amount of time to the right things.
Basically, you know you have a better work life balance if there are no items in the “High Priority, Low Time” square or the “Low Priority, High Time” Square.
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Step 5: Make an Action Plan
To find a better work life balance, you will want to make changes to two squares.
Here are some actions you can take according to the square those items are in:
Low Priority, High Time
Remember, this square is for things you don’t really care about that take up too much of your time.
What you need to do here is find ways to spend less time on these items, or give them up entirely.
Make clear goals for what you will do to solve each of these problems.
For example, if watching television is in this square, your goal could be to limit your t.v. time to one hour every two days.
If email is your problem, you could develop strategies that will help you spend less time on it.
Come up with an action plan that will help you move some of these activities to a different box.
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High Priority, Low Time
This square is another problem area.
The items in this box are considered important to you, but they are not getting enough attention.
For this problem, you need to figure out a way that you can spend more time on these activities.
It might mean making goals that help you intentionally set aside time for these activities.
You might also have to consider giving something else up to make room for the more important tasks.
For example, when I need more self-care time, I have to actually schedule that time and treat it like a formal event. If people ask if I’m busy at that time, I tell them I am (even though it’s just time by myself).
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I hope that this strategy can help you to find a better work life balance.
It is a process that certainly takes time and effort, but it will enrich your life greatly.
Instead of wasting time on things you don’t value, you will have space for the things you care about most in life.
Remember, the goal isn’t to get more done. The goal is to have less to do in the first place.
What strategies do you use to make sure that you have a healthy work life balance?
Hi, Genesis! I found your article super, super useful! I recently began a new business with my boyfriend, and I have seen a change in how I spend my day-to-day activities. I love your idea of analyzing and categorizing each activity! I will definitely do that because it will help me get more organized!
I rely on my planner a lot (check out the brand “The Happy Planner” – they have the BEST planners I have ever seen!). I love to write every single thing that I do each day, so I think that by doing what you suggest, the activities in my planner will be even more organized and I will have a better vision of how much time i’m spending on each thing I do! Thank you for this! <3
Hi Diana!
I’m so glad that you found this post useful! I definitely get where you’re coming from; when you start building a business, it can be hard to readjust to a new schedule. I always have so much trouble creating boundaries around my work. This strategy can be a real game-changer with things like that.
Those planners you mentioned look awesome! I might have something to add to my Christmas list this year… 🙂
Thanks for your lovely message! I’m really glad to hear that it was useful to you, and I hope all goes well in your new business venture! 😀