This month, we are going to talk about balance — work/ life balance in particular...

Just about every client who wants to hire me to speak to their group wants me to infuse some tips and commentary on how to balance everything in their workers' lives. And it's true, because of our 24/7 connectedness, it can be very difficult to honor all of the "masters" in our lives.

The subject of life balance usually morphs to more discussion of time management, which then morphs to the discussion of priority management. As Jack Welch has said, "There is no such thing as life balance, just life priorities."

And this is an interesting point, because when people say that they are out of balance, what are they really saying? Most times, they are saying that their spending more time on one thing and less time on another — another that they feel they should be spending time with.

The obvious example is the person who works 80 hours a week, and laments that they have no time to spend with their family or their children. Another one that comes up often is the whole subject of getting more exercise. Sound familiar?

The answers aren't simple, but might be a bit more simple than we make them. Some of the key lies in the philosophy that you need to "make time" rather than try to "find time."

In the examples above, yes, we understand that work pressures will take up a lot of our waking hours, so some of the answer is in working smart. The other part of it is setting boundaries and focusing on the other pieces that you consider important. If you believe you should be spending more time with your children, what boundaries can you set to assure that you have a certain amount of time carved out for quality time with those kids each week? Intentionality is paramount.

Same for the exercise thing — I believe we "should all over ourselves" when it comes to what we know is a necessity or benefit that can extend our lives. The simple answer is to make appointments with yourself to exercise. If you want to get really fancy, you might be able to combine it with another priority, such as taking a walk with your children, or playing golf with a client.

We are going to devote our blog posts and podcasts this month to this weighty issue, so please stay tuned for tips and strategies that can help you feel greater satisfaction with your lives.

The Balancing Act — How Balanced Are You? (20 second read)

Let Go of Your Need to "Do It All" (10 second read)

Clear the Way for Work — Life Balance (10 second read)

Usually, in this newsletter, I share tips about how to be more productive with email. On the subject of work and life balance, the whole point is to not he tied to your electronic or, and to give yourselves digital breaks. Seriously. One of the biggest reasons people lament work/life balance issues is that they are spending way too much time either in front of the computer or on their PDAS.

The email Tip this month, then, is to go on a digital diet. Monitor how much unproductive time you spend chipping away at unimportant stuff, and replace that time with activities that are much higher priority for you.

"No person, no place, and no thing has any power over us, for 'we' are the only thinkers in our mind. When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives". — Louise L. Hay

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." — Brian Tracy

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." — Albert Einstein

If Tim Ferris, author of the Four Hour Work Week can check his email only twice a day, I'm sure that you can cut back the number of times that you check your email. Your inspiration for this month as noted above, is to go on a digital diet so that you can enhance your ability to devote time to other things in your life that you feel may not be being served well.