What is your definition of work-life balance ?  I think before you can achieve work-life balance, you have to define what it means to you.  Work-life balance is a relative term that can mean different things for different people.

First of all, I would recommend identifying the priorities you want to achieve in both your personal and work activities.  Then, focus on those priorities, and plan the rest of your life around those priorities.

Many of you probably are thinking that this is easier said than done, right?  Well, it’s a start.

I like to follow the advice of Albert Einstein who said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

I would imagine that most of us are moving rapidly in this day and time, and the balance is more like a juggling act.  The key is to channel that movement into your top priorities.  Whether your priorities are balancing family, work, volunteer activities, religious activities or school, list your top priorities of each, and attempt to achieve those goals in a manageable schedule.

According to worklifebalance.com, “Work-life balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

Your best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The right balance for you today will probably be different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when you are single will be different when you marry, or if you have children; when you start a new career versus when you are nearing retirement.”

For me, I strive to exceed the expectations and goals of our clients and my manager at work while spending as much quality time as possible with my family in addition to teaching online classes from time to time.

Recently, I had a Daughter-Mommy day with my five-year-old, and in her words, “It was the best day ever.”  We went to lunch together, her gymnastics class, then shopping.  While at the mall, she asked if she could get her ears pierced—kind of out of the blue.  Whenever the subject of getting her ears pierced had come up in the past, my husband and I always told her it was her decision IF and when she wanted to do it.  So, she did get her ears pierced—with no tears surprisingly. She was on top of the world, and so was I. We had a great rest of the evening as a family when my hubby got home from work. I definitely achieved my family balance that day!

What are some examples of your work-life balance?