The SophistiRatchet Balance: 4 Ways To Create A Better Balance Between Your Life & Your Responsibilities

This has been a highly requested topic and I can understand why. It can become overwhelming trying to maintain relationships, stay socially engaged, and digitally connected when you are combining that with trying to get good grades and/or being at the top of your game in your career. A question that I commonly hear is, “how do you make time for everything?” I typically respond saying, “I don’t sleep,” which isn’t completely false; I definitely make time to sleep (sometimes). But, the truth about my ability to balance my career, my family, my friends, my blog, and my love for tequila is taking key steps to utilize my time as best as possible.

If you came to this post, you came for a very specific reason. To understand how to create a better balance between life and everything else. So, unlike other posts, I won’t talk your ear off before you get to the key parts of this message. Of note, I also won’t get into the “you don’t have to be everywhere all the time” part of this topic, but it’s true. I’ll address it in this very short paragraph by emphasizing that you literally cannot pour from an empty cup. I had to learn that to live a more balanced life. I pulled back from organizations and self-prescribed responsibilities in 2019. Now I give where I can, how I can, and when I can without the worry of driving myself into the ground.

Without further ado, let’s get into it…

Four Tips for Creating a Better Balance Between Your Responsibilities and Your Life

To-Do Lists and Calendars

I am a huge advocate for lists, planners, and calendars. However, I recognize that everyone doesn’t work off of these things. It’s not that I have a bad memory and would forget tasks without lists/calendars, but more so the fact that I have so many things to remember that I want to ensure not to forget anything! I can assume that if you are reading this, you are the type of person who can, at anytime, be stretched thin between responsibilities and tasks that need to get done. Trust me when I say we do an injustice to ourselves, and others, when we try to keep things in our head as opposed to creating lists and calendars that we can refer to. One of the most important reasons for keeping a to-do list AND a calendar is organization. When we organize our life it usually leads to you feeling more grounded and life seeming a bit more manageable. Having a clear outline of your day, week, month and being able to see your completed and uncompleted tasks will help you stay mentally focused and you’ll feel much more organized. Oh! And you’ll get much more done during the weekdays, which should result in you doing whatever you want to do with your weekends.

Know Your Limits and Set Boundaries

I’ve said this in previous posts and I am sure I will continue to say it. Simply because setting boundaries and knowing our limits applies to many facets of our lives. I talked about setting boundaries when we discussed four ways to protect your peace and the truth of the matter is that when you are actively working towards being a well-balanced profesionallite (professional socialite) you still have to protect your peace. Recall when I said, “NO is a full sentence. It is a beginning and an end.” It is okay for you to tell people that you are unavailable, that you do not have time, that you have too much on your plate, or that you just do not want to do it. You deserve to exist under terms that do not harm you, make you feel uncomfortable, and/or overwork you. I remember being in a place where I would automatically agree to commitments because I knew that, no matter what, I could get it done. None of this was false; I could definitely get it done, but at what cost? Spreading myself thin to please any and everybody was not worth the neglect I was contributing to my physical appearance, my mental health, and my emotional wellbeing. It wasn’t worth 3 hours of sleep at night on most nights. It wasn’t worth 3 cups of coffee everyday until I actually felt awake. It wasn’t worth “I don’t have time for the gym.” Remember, setting boundaries and knowing your limits is a form of self-care. Protect your peace, your time, and your energy at all costs. Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks or recognize when you can’t take on anything extra. This is an easy way to make sure your weekends aren’t occupied doing other people’s work or work that you committed to and shouldn’t have.

Kill Procrastination

Newton’s First Law of Motion says that a body at rest will stay at rest until compelled to do otherwise. So it’s safe to say that everyone procrastinates, but that doesn’t make it a good thing. We say things like, “I should be working” or “I’ll get to it tomorrow,” meanwhile we’re on Instagram laughing at memes that we can relate to from our childhood. Procrastination is an unhealthy habit that people too often allow to manifest into their day to day lives. You may think you only procrastinate in one aspect of your life, but it affects other important parts of our lives as well. First we find ourselves putting off a school assignment, but then we find ourselves avoiding break-ups, delaying making doctor appointments, or finally changing career paths. When we procrastinate we are only wasting time and time is one thing that we can never get back. I read a quote that says, “time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” That really hit me because I always find myself saying, “there’s not enough hours in the day!” But I also find myself saying, “I need a 4 hour nap.” Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we procrastinate by putting pleasure over discipline? Why do we procrastinate by avoiding negative things? Why do we procrastinate by becoming paralyzed when we are overwhelmed? We have to overcome the feelings and thoughts of procrastination. In the words of Nike, “Just Do It.” I get it; it’s not that simple, but when you feel like procrastinating just take time to look at the big picture. What would doing this one task mean for your tomorrow? Your life? Your future? Your habits? Taking on a new perspective can jump-start the process of taking action.

Be Present Where You Are

When you are at work, be 100% at work. When you are in class, be 100% in class. When you are with friends, do not constantly check your phone for emails. If you want to enjoy your weekends guilt and worry-free, you have to utilize your time as best as possible on the weekdays. I’d be lying if I said I don’t check my phone at work. I pop on and see what’s happening in the digital world, but the key to remaining productive is not allowing IG, Twitter, Facebook, etc. to consume me and my time. Being physically present at work is one thing, but being mentally and emotionally present is another. When we disrupt our energy and flow with what’s happening in the outside world, it can also disrupt the wave that we vibrate on throughout the remainder of our work day. A happiness expert, Daniel Gilbert, conducted a study that demonstrated that mind-wandering was correlated with unhappiness: people self-reported 10% less happy while mind-wandering than they were when they focused on the present – regardless of what they happened to be doing. Give your all to one activity at a time and you’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish in one sitting. Allow yourself to focus on the task at hand and take brain breaks as needed.

5 Ted Talks that Discuss Work Life Balance

How To Make Work-Life Balance Work by Nigel Marsh

The Happy Secret To Better Work by Shawn Achor

How To Gain Control Of Your Free Time by Laura Vanderkam

Can We All “Have It All”? By Anne-Marie Slaughter

Why You Should Define Your Fears Instead Of Your Goals by Tim Ferris