If you feel like you’re ready to collapse, follow these steps to recover your balance.
GETTING STARTED
Striking the right balance in your life and finding time to accomplish all the things — big and small — you want to achieve can be difficult for even the most organised among us. Finding this balance inevitably means bringing about a series of changes, which can be inconvenient and overwhelming at first.
“The challenge is to be where you are,” says life coach Jonti Mayer. “Being present [in the moment] is the most important quality to accomplish effectiveness and quality of life.”
> “Set up a structure for basic routines such as filling up with petrol, shopping, etc. Once you’ve done this, you’ll have more peace and energy to focus on the more important stuff,” says Mayer.
> “Sit down on Sunday night and brainstorm what you want to accomplish in the following week, and include Saturday and Sunday,” adds Johannesburg coaching and consulting expert Min McGloughlin.
> “Once you’ve brainstormed your ideas, work with a diary — it frees your mind to focus on your tasks and helps you feel more in control,” says Mayer.
MAKING THE CHANGE
You’ve made the time to sit down and brainstorm ideas for what you want to achieve. Now what?
> “Divide the things you wish to achieve into the following categories: work/business/ career; significant other; friends; family; health and fitness; and spiritual life and prioritise them from most to least important,” McGloughlin suggests.
> “List all your tasks, from phone calls, meetings, e-mails, reports, presentations to admin and any others you may have.
> “Write down the time you think it will take you to accomplish your goals, and when you’ll do each one. For example: call bank manager — 10 min, Monday; deal with e-mail inbox — two hours a day; grocery shopping — one hour, Friday; walk dogs — one hour, Wednesday and Sunday; socialising with friends or family — five hours, Friday night. Now add another 20% on to your time to make sure you’re being realistic,” says McGloughlin.
> “Set aside time for nurturing yourself. This can be anything from a massage to a cup of coffee with a friend, or a romantic dinner with your partner,” suggests Mayer.
> He adds that discipline is vital — without it, no wisdom is of any use. If we set up a time structure for the different aspects of our lives and we stay committed to that structure, we will be able to meet all our needs and obligations.
TECHNOLOGICAL TIPS
> “Invest in a personal digital assistant (PDA). It can save you time, money and energy. Streamlining becomes simple because appointments are managed on the spot. Repeat appointments can be entered automatically, as well as birthdays, anniversaries and so on. A PDA with a phone function will allow you to receive e-mails when you’re away from the office. Many of them also have pocket Word, Excel and Power- Point software packages,” says Mayer.
> Install a good car kit for your phone. This will allow you to make high-quality calls while you’re waiting in traffic — and you won’t get fined!
> “Opt for delivery services. For example, set up a home shopping system for groceries and essentials. Don’t waste time in traffic and queues,” advises Mayer.
> And the favourite of many — online banking. Make sure you have the latest security and anti-virus software installed on your computer. This should calm any fears you may have of falling victim to fraud as online banking is undeniably a convenient alternative to standing in endless queues.
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