Work-Life Balance: Finding the Time

In my last few posts I've been writing about the search for "work-life balance," which, I believe, actually needs a third factor -- "self care." And that's because we can't cope with the demands of work, family, volunteer activities -- and the myriad other obligations we grown-ups tend to accumulate -- unless we're taking care of ourselves, too.

I'm hoping that you went ahead and made a list of what you need to feel balanced, as I suggested in my . And I'm assuming that as you did so, you heard a little niggling voice of protest say, "but I have no time to do all this stuff."

And therein lies the rub.

Because while it may seem like you don't have enough time to take care of yourself, I'm going to bet that you can find time, if you look.

That leads me to today's assignment: Write a list of all the things that an objective observer might consider unproductive. Perhaps its watching reality TV. Maybe it's scouring the local blogs. Perhaps you've got a wee window shopping habit, or you get roped into having coffee with people you don't like all that much -- just out of a sense of obligation. Write it all down.

Then make a plan to substitute one of the activities that helps you feel balanced  for one of the activities that is non-productive over the next seven days. You might decide to do 15 minutes of stretching instead of checking the comments on a blog, for instance. You might decide to go to the gym instead of watching trashy TV. You might cancel that coffee with the person you don't like and choose, instead, to go to a yoga class. You could even decide to spend 15 minutes reading to your child instead of surfing Facebook.

Write out your plan for seven days. Follow it. And then see if you feel more balanced.