In the seven areas of balance, we have looked at the Spiritual, Physical, Social, and Intellectual aspects.  Now let’s explore ways we can bring balance to the last three areas – Psychological,  Professional, and Recreational.

In terms of the psychological aspect, we are referring to our emotions.  How we feel (our emotions) is tied to how we operate.   If we have negative emotions, (the glass is half empty) we look at the negative aspects of our life and dwell on it. Fear is another emotion that many have to deal with.  It can help us not to jump off a cliff (untethered) or it can prevent us from having a successful career. To begin to achieve balance in this area, perhaps:

1. Keep a journal of emotions.  Pay attention to how you felt during the day.  Were there triggers to certain emotions?
2. Seek the help of a Forgiveness Coach.  Some of our emotions are tied to life events that occurred when we were very young.
3. Choose what you focus on.  Be purposeful!  Focus on your emotional strengths and use them to the fullest.

In the professional area of our lives, there are many things we can do to achieve better balance.

1. Work smarter, not harder!  Many Americans are workaholics and need to cut back the hours they spend working.
2. Learn to delegate more tasks.
3. Make a list of all your tasks and simply give yourself the freedom the eradicate one task.  Life is too short!
4. Find an accountability partner to help you make changes in your career.
5. Take a course to further your career, or go back to school.
6. Set career goals for 5 and 10 years out.  Where do you want to be then?
7. Use those vacation days, take a break!

Recreation is the 7th area of life balance.  It is last to be discussed and often the last life area that we pay attention to… I personally struggle with this area of my life.  Like many,  I often feel that it is a luxury not a necessity. Recreation, my friends, is a necessity for life balance.  Here are a few ideas to help you:

1. Make your “Bucket List” and start doing those things.
2. Join a team sport – soccer, softball, – anything you used to play in school!
3. Explore the nature environments in your local areas.  Take a hike this weekend.
4. Go to a Festival.  All major cities have some kind of annual event that is a wonderful distraction.
5. Play ball with your kid.
6. Go bowling…  Okay you get the idea.

Life balance – it’s more than just balancing work and home.  Balance involves all of these areas.  What will you do to achieve balance in your life?  Please, leave a comment and let me know!

As a solo-prenuer there is so much to be done, so little time… yada yada yada. If you are a business owner, you certainly know what I mean. While customer follow up is paramount, so is delegation. I finally relented and hired a Virtual Assistant (VA) a few months back. Talk about relief (and I’m not talking about anti-acid here)! I have slowly been able to release certain tasks to my VA, only to find out that she does it better than I would. She loves sitting at the computer, pounding away on the keyboard while I’m networking, marketing, and meeting with my clients. She gets the work done efficiently, expediently, and excellently. So much so that I was inspired to host a teleseminar about the wonders of the Virtual Assistant. This teleseminar will be held on September 17th at 4pm PST. For more detials, visit my website at www.organizedhabits.com.