September 5, 2021
A few days ago, I wrote an article about "Are You Minding Your Five F's?" inspired by FarmGirl's article wherein I tackled our Five Fs: Finance, Family, Friends, Fun, Fitness and relate this topic to my life. To have a better life, we have to balance every aspect and don't let one be out of place. Things that should be prioritized should remain on top and should not be taken for granted just because the other one is more important for you. Remember that all aspects are vital so we have to get equilibrium for a better and healthier life.
It is easier said than done though. Even if we know how to balance them, we are still struggling especially in finding work and life balance. Sometimes we just wish to cut our bodies in halves so we can execute all tasks and balance our time, work, and life.
Like in my case, I have to balance my time at work so I can have time for blogging as well. And sometimes, when my boss throws too many orders to be fulfilled, some things are being compromised. Even time management isn't being followed and I just find myself joggling from one task to another but finishing fewer tasks.
If you are like me that is still struggling to get Equilibrium in Life, here are what I've got from Sarahgodfre.com:
Be open about your needs
Respect boundaries
Understand what really matters
Pace yourself
Learn how to let go of things
Prioritize your time
Be healthily selfish about your “me” time
Avoid working for long/Leave work at work
Plan a holiday
Let's discuss this topic based on my personal views and experiences.
Be open about your needs
It is worth noting that needs are different from wants. But some people often spend more time and money on their caprices. Remember that needs are more essential for survival than our desires in life. Basically, human needs include food, water, shelter, rest, and of course money.
What I need badly is rest, especially sleep, because even if I want to close my eyes as early as 10 at night, my mind is still processing so many thoughts and doesn't allow my body to sleep. I also need to get rid of this destruction preoccupying my mind so I can have better sleep and rest. And I guess, I need to limit myself from using my phone because its radiation is giving strains to my eyes, and this might be the reason for having difficulty in sleeping.
Respect boundaries
Boundaries are about respect and not about creating a wall against someone, especially at work. But I'm struggling with these boundaries at work. Sometimes, my boss' opinions aren't right. But because she's my boss, I need to respect it. However, there are times that I can't take her incorrect logic and opinions anymore so I have to disagree and correct her. That's the time that I talk and express my own thoughts which I know are more sensible.
Disagreeing with my boss doesn't mean disrespecting her. Sometimes, we need to mind the wrong ones and make them right. Because if she continues to insist on what she thinks is right, it will be applied to the next worker. We have to respect boundaries. But at the same time, we have to understand that it is also made for clarity.
Understand what really matters
This is I guess something that we should ponder. What matters most for us is life, work, money, and love. But if we don't know how to balance them, one will be compromised.
Money and work matter to me because we can't survive in this world without them. But as for now, I need to worry more about my health because these pains and discomforts are seeking my attention. And that's what really matters to me for now. Money is just around the corner. Although there will be difficulties in my next endeavor, everything can be resolved for as long as I have the determination to continue pursuing my goals in life.
And you should also think about it. What matters to you? Your life? Your goal? Your work? Or love?
Once you learn the answer, it would be easier for you to work on it and pursue your desires in life without compromising anything.
Pace yourself
Many of us are always in a hurry. Seems like something is always chasing us. We are pacing so fast just like how the world evolves so fast. And I admit that there are times at work that I want to rush things so I can have more rest, and write articles. But it ended up exhausting my body and finishing fewer tasks because things are just being messed up.
And I need to remind myself and I guess you who's reading this as well. We have to slow down and don't rush things. Take one step at a time until the act is completed. If you can't finish things today, then there is still tomorrow. And don't forget to enjoy our journey towards completing our goals in life.
Learn how to let go of things
There are things that we can't easily let go of, failures at work, unfinished business, emotions, and life's problems. We usually get stuck in thinking about what we should have done, this and that. However, the best thing to do is to let bygones be bygones.
When my eyeglasses broke due to my carelessness, I got annoyed with myself because the money should have been used for something more important. When my phone's LCD broke due to my clumsiness, I got annoyed with myself because if I will add all the amount I have used, it's already enough to buy a new phone or tablet for my youngest brother. But it's all my fault, and I just let it go.
When my boss reprimanded me because I forgot to do a certain task due to busyness on these two platforms read/noise, I got annoyed with myself because I was being irresponsible at work. But I have to take accountability for my actions so I just let those things go.
If you think you can't finish your work alone, there is nothing wrong to let go of your pride and ask for help from someone. And if you feel heavy and weary, learn how to let go of those emotions to make your feelings lighter and better for you to fulfill other things in life.
Prioritize your time
If you're a person with a lot of responsibilities and multiple jobs in life, twenty-four hours a day isn't enough to get everything done. As a Caregiver/Assistant/Blogger/Noizer 🙈, I sometimes feel that 15-16 working hours (which includes break time) aren't enough to finish all my tasks at work and the things to do in the virtual world, and my 7-8 sleeping hours aren't enough to recharge my body.
We always thought we have no enough time, but the truth is, we spend a lot of wasted hours doing unnecessary stuff. Whether you admit it or not, but making noise on noisecash instead of doing our task at work is also a waste of time, lol. Although we are earning by doing that, we have to prioritize what is more important before doing our leisure activities such as blogging and making noise on noisecash. Others are procrastinating, watching their favorite drama, playing mobile games, instead of doing their homework or studying their lessons.
And instead of going to sleep early at night, we still tap our phones and explore the crypto space, lol. Then we complain about lack of sleep, headache, and other discomforts later.
We can make our hours efficient if we only know how to manage them properly and all things can be done before the allocated time or day ends, which will give us more time for relaxation. It's just a matter of time management and self-discipline.
Avoid working for long/Leave work at work
Easier said than done, but this is something unavoidable especially if our work needs to be done before the day ends. So sometimes we have no choice but to extend our working time. And it's not even enough for some because they will still bring their work home. Instead of having quality time with family at dinner, some are tapping their laptops or phone just to continue their unfinished business.
I remembered when I was working in Cebu. Part of my work was to record all the transactions in a ledger book. There were times that our branch was busy and I can't finish writing and tallying all the transactions so I have no choice but to bring them to our staff house. Although I can finish it the next day, I just don't like piling my table with unfinished and new works. Others were busy playing with their phones, chatting with their partners and families, while I was busy writing the transactions in the ledger book.
Leave work at work, something that we should practice. Our brains also need some rest and if they will continue to do the same tasks for a long period each day, they will be exhausted too just like our bodies. Quality time is quality time, most especially when you have a family. You're already busy the whole day at work, you should at least give time for your kids and partners at night. At the same time, give yourself a break as well.
Be healthily selfish about your “me” time/Plan a holiday
Okay, this is what I badly needed, the "me time" where no one will distract me, and no calls from a job or my family. And if possible, I want to disconnect myself from the world even just for a while. I guess that would be a great relaxation time and a chance to think and self-reflect.
We should not just work and work, or just think about our family, we should also think about ourselves and give time to pamper our exhausted bodies. Because once it deteriorates, everything will shatter into pieces.
Author's Note:
It can be hard sometimes to balance life and work. However, with self-discipline and effective life and work management, we can get the equilibrium in life. It is worth noting that unbalance life can be detrimental and can cause stress, even depression, and feeling of discouragement.
When you think you are exhausted and heading the wrong path, take a break and breathe. There's no need to rush here because life isn't a competition. You have to enjoy every single day throughout your journey.
And when you think you need a helping hand, do not hesitate to ask for it. Let go of the ego and pride because we can't survive in this world alone if we don't know how to seek help from others. When you think your journey is getting tougher, let go of those burdens and heavy emotions to make your feeling lighter.
We all have our priorities in life. However, we should not forget to enjoy while fulfilling those priorities. We should not forget to give quality time to our family. Most importantly, we should not forget to spare "me" time when we need it badly.
Getting equilibrium is the only key to have a healthy and happy life.
Thanks for your time.
I must confess I also spend too much time on my phone and sometimes it distracts me from other more important tasks. I think I would like to get my life in a better balance, do some things more productive, more rewarding and also I need to get more sleep to. Like you say, getting a balance in life requires discipline, I will give it a try.