Tips and Techniques for Achieving Greater Balance in Your Life

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• Do you crave the kudos that go with being superman or superwoman?
• Do you feel guilty if you say "no"?
• Are you afraid you will lose face if you say "no"? (at work, with family or with friends).
• Do you feel that if you don't do something, it won't get done properly?
• Are you a perfectionist?
• Are you hooked on “being busy”?
• Have you forgotten how to relax?
• Are you afraid of making changes in your life?

• Determine to go with the flow—you'll do what you can and will try not to fret over things undone.

• Learn to ask for help, and to accept help in the office and with family responsibilities such as child care or elder care.

• Recognize that perfection isn't always the right goal. A quick and casual family supper that you can relax over with the family may be more valuable than preparing a three-hour gourmet dinner that leaves you a wreck.

• Accept that things will go wrong sometimes—and that's what life is about. It doesn't make you a failure if the children have a fight or your partner misses a promotion.

• Learn that it really is O.K. to say "no."

• Reflect on alternatives for items that you consider low priority. For example, would the school care if you bought cookies instead of baking them? Are there social activities you go along with but don't enjoy?

• Consider whether you could pay others to take over some of your chores. A cleaner? A gardener? A student to shovel the snow or clean your windows?

• Consider if others could share family responsibilities. An older relative's neighbor or friend to run errands occasionally? Another family member to check in on sick or elderly relatives on the weekends? A friend to trade babysitting nights or shopping chores?

• Reflect on whether you are delegating your time effectively at work. If your workload is too heavy, problem-solve with your boss to come up with ways to make your task list more manageable.

• Create an action plan to achieve balance. Listing all of your goals in priority order will help you visualize what needs to be done, and in what order. You can then assess your action plan and make modifications as you go.