When I was younger and for many years, in what I call my other life, I had a wonderful and demanding career that required a lot of my time. Or so I thought. I felt I had to prove that I was worthy of the cause by working long hours. But I wasn’t thinking smart. Now that I’m older with more experience, I realize that I was worthy. Or they wouldn’t have hired me. I was promoted several times, and earned awards and bonuses.

Back then, juggling a career with travel, dressing the part, being married with two small boys, dogs and feeling like I needed to keep up with the Joneses, I was drained. The effort took a toll on me both physically and mentally. I missed important events and lost time with family and friends. I was married to my job. My work life and personal life were out of control, which left my stress level out of whack.

I’m grateful that I had my grandmother (we all called her Gigi). She was smart, savvy and very wise. I would go to her for advice on life and situations that were not familiar. She would always have a profound answer. I thought to myself, how does she know this? Well, she had lots of years of experience. Now, after my experience trying to balance work and home life, I have to tell you, it’s totally different these days!

Here are a few ideas for a better work/life balance. Or, you can wait until you’re a grandparent to rack up the experience: 

Keep it simple. Last year I wrote a three-part article on “Simplifying your life, home and business.” Read it again to start out the year by moving into balancing it all out. Go to www.sharonjustsayin.com 

Rise and shine. Try waking up several hours before leaving for work. A few more added minutes to your morning can help with tasks around the house – defrosting something for dinner or starting the dishwasher. It’s the small things that we do on a daily basis that add up. By waking up a little early you eliminate frantic dressing, lack of breakfast and forgotten tasks that add up at the end of the day and week.

Food to go. Keep nuts and health bars in your car. This helped me when I’d leave work to go directly to a soccer game. Then the family could eat a healthy meal later at home. I still do this today and it’s been a real lifesaver!

Go-to place. Near the door, find an area for items that you need on a daily basis: keys, briefcase, purse, school backpacks or letters to be mailed. Also, keep a petty cash jar handy for all household members to use for parking, lunches or a tip for the delivery person.

Go-to person. Find a trusted friend that you can vent your frustrations to. And equally important, allow them to vent to you. Share your feelings to ease your pain. Put a time limit on the pity party, then do something fun together. 

Routine. You’ve heard it before. Repetition strengthens and confirms. Develop routines in your life. Days that you don’t have that Zen mojo you can put yourself on autopilot. Knowing you can fall back on built in routines will get you through the day. 

Say no. Quit doing things out of guilt or a false sense of obligation. You will make more room in your life for the activities that are meaningful to you and bring you joy.

Leave work at work. With the technology to connect to anyone at any time virtually anywhere, there’s no boundary between work and home – unless you create it. Make a conscious decision to separate work time from personal time. When you’re with your family, turn off your cell phone. When it’s time to take a vacation, take that time off. You need that time to recharge for when you’re back to work. 

You’re worthy. Eat healthy foods and include physical activity as a part of your life. Better yet, discover activities you can do with a partner or friend – such as hiking, walking or taking cooking classes (my favorite). 

Laugh. Look on the bright side and have a sense of humor. Everyone feels sad, angry or frustrated sometime. It has been proven that laughing can help ease difficult situations.

In the struggle to meet the demands of an increasingly complex world we all need to develop strategies for maintaining balance in our lives. Just sayin’. 

Published: Apartment News Magazine – January/February issue 2012