How to Have It All: 6 Proven Ways to Master Work-life Balance

You Actually CAN Have it All. Having to choose just means you don’t have the right tools, thoughts and people around you. So I am going to show you how you can have things you want in 6 STEPS.

1. Draw the right circle

This means to choose who you bring into your life wisely and understand that as the owner of the pencil, you have the control. The goal is to have people that understand, support and help you achieve your goals, respect your need to focus on yourself and your responsibilities, as well as foster peaceful and healthy communication.

Reflect on the people around you and determine if they are contributing to or hindering your growth.

Spend more time with people that support you and help you grow. Cut off or create boundaries with people that are disrespectful or hinder growth.

As you find the right individuals, sit down together and exchange your goals, routine & desires. Work together to build a friendship/relationship that works for your personal life and work life.

Be intentional with how and when you spend time with your loved ones and show gratitude for friendships that are positively impacting your life. Be fully present when you are together. It’s important that you are playing your role for others and they are playing their role for you.

Ask or pay for help

Having the right people includes getting help that brings value to you. There is only so much we can do on our own. Release some control by outsourcing and/or building a team to take tasks off your plate.

For potential employees or coworkers, seek individuals that are skilled at what they do and work well with you.

Ask loved ones for help by giving them clear instructions on what you'd like them to do and putting them in a position to win. Their win is your win. Ask for help based on their strengths, routines, and habits.

After you experience relaxation while someone else completes work for you behind the scenes, you'll never want to do everything on your own again.

“By working only when you are most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable. It’s the perfect example of having your cake and eating it, too.” - Tim Ferris

2. Work only when you are most effective

Take a day to pay attention and make a note of how you feel. This will help you determine when you have the most energy and mind clarity to complete tasks efficiently.

Working only when you are most effective increases productivity and enjoyment. You’ll find that you are able to finish tasks faster, which affords you more time for the other things/people you care about.

This requires you to FOCUS and do ONE thing at a time. Stop getting distracted by the stimuli of today’s society. Other people, problems, struggles, and emergencies are not your problems, struggles, or emergencies. If you struggle with focus, do these 3 things:

1. Build a space for winners: put yourself in a space of minimal distraction. I’m talking about no clutter, less furniture, no phone, locked doors, all that.

2. Read helpful books: search for books online that teach about work and productivity.

3. Check in on your mental health: different mental health factors can impede your ability to focus. Always make sure you are taking care of your mental health by going to professionals, becoming more self aware, and taking the necessary steps to be in a better state of mind.

3. Adopt the right mindset

Your mind will bring you where you need to be before ANYTHING else does. Adopting an abundance mindset is crucial. Believing you can achieve your goals even when people and past-experiences tell you otherwise will empower you to cut through the b.s. and remain on track to walk into your desired life.

4. Become a master at prioritizing

A lot of us spend time on tasks that aren’t adding any value to our day or helping us achieve our goals. Don’t work on autopilot attempting to complete low-value busy tasks.

Plan your day with your goals and/or vision board in front of you. Prioritize only 1-3 tasks daily that move you closer to achieving your goals. Do research on how to prioritize effectively based on your goals and your ideal daily routine.

5. Get familiar with intentional imbalance

Understand that work-life balance is less about equality and more about intention.

Brian Moran & Micheal Lennington explain this best in their book The 12 Week Year:

“If taken literally, the phrase life balance is something of a misnomer. It is natural to think that the goal of life balance is to spend equal time and energy in the various areas of your life, but in reality, that is not practical and it would not necessarily create the life you desire. Trying to spend equal time in each area is unproductive and often frustrating. Life balance is not about equal time in each area; life balance is more about intentional imbalance.”

Life balance is achieved when you are purposeful about how and where you spend your time, energy, and effort. At different times in your life you will choose to focus on one area over another, and that’s perfectly fine provided it’s intentional”

Allocate your time & focus in accordance to the season you’re in, your goals, and desires.

6. Unlearn what you know

As children we pick up characteristics, thoughts and opinions of the world around us. We grow up moving and thinking based on the experiences and POV of our parents/guardians.

Sometimes these learned behaviors and thoughts can limit growth and blind us to better blessings. In addition, healing our “inner child” is important to tapping into the desired emotional, mental, and physical states of our dream life.

Take a step back and think about where the beliefs and habits you have come from and if they are your own.

Are they in alignment with the life you want?

If not, take small actionable steps towards changing any belief systems that don’t align. Be okay with taking intentional time, away from the media and others to identify values that are authentic to you.