TCN Communications

We've all experienced it - the feeling that one more responsibility, assignment, task, obligation, chore, appointment, etc. will put us over the edge. We live in a world where we are constantly trying to do more with less and less time.

Sound familiar? Of course it does, and adding the time it takes to earn your degree into the ever growing list of things to do can be overwhelming to say the least.

Recently, I came across a post on workawesome.com that outlined the "5 Steps to Creating a Balanced Life".

1. Create personal balance by deciding what is important to you.
2. Create a balanced life by doing what is important and leaving the rest alone.
3. Create life balance by remaining grateful for your family.
4. Create balance through relaxation.
5. Create balance by seeking solutions to problems that are hindering balance.

Decide what is important to you
There is an old saying that we "spend the most time on the things that are most important to us." You are declaring to the world you order of importance based on how much time you spend on certain things in your life. Think about your goals both professionally and personally. Are the things you spend the most time on helping or hindering the achievement of your goals?

Do what is important and leave the rest
Now, I realize that if I say laundry is not the most important thing in my life, it isn't going to do itself. However, I can make more time for the important things and still finish the laundry. For example, maybe earning my degree is the most important thing to me right now. I can put in a load of laundry before I sit down to study in the evening. If family and schoolwork have equal importance, I suggest studying while your kids do their homework. Make it a family event. If there are activities on your list that you can do without, get rid of them. You have to learn to say "no" in order to balance your life.

Be grateful for your family
Your family is probably your biggest support system. When you sacrifice the balance in your life, they also make sacrifices. It is easy to overlook these relationships. Make some time for those important people in your life where you can focus you full attention on them. (Yes. This means you may need to turn off that cell phone.)

Make time to relax
When is the last time you sat and did absolutely nothing? If you're like me, you probably can't remember the last time this happened. Make some time in your week to relax. You need "me time" to be your best.

Solve problems that are hindering balance
Even when you are focusing on creating balance in your life, you may become stressed and hit those breaking points again. This is a process. Take the time to re-focus by starting over at step one from time to time. It may be necessary to re-evaluate what's important multiple times as this can change in our lives.

Don't give up, and use the resources available to you like The College Network support. We may be able to help you create study plans that will help you get the most out of your study time to be more efficient.

Strive for balance and you will achieve your goals while making the most of life. If you've found success with some of these strategies or are struggling with balance, post a comment. We're all here for you, and others reading may find strength from your words or be able to lend helpful advice.