Mar 15 2010
Great Big Balancing Act
Life is a great big balancing act. I can break any of the special domains of life into many smaller pieces that all have to be kept up at once. For instance, just today the special domain of work is broken into marking 13 student papers, editing one article and one biography for clients, maintaining an online presence (answering e-mail, blogging, marketing), and revising my own novel. Just today, the special domain of ministry involves an hour-long planning meeting this afternoon, practicing a song, and memorizing/revising narrations. The special domain of family means poking my head out of my office once in a while, connecting meaningfully over meals or conversations, planning visits to relatives who are farther away, participating in Sleep Camp. Then there’s friendship, health, relationship with God, education, finances . . .
No wonder life makes me tired.
Even so, balancing so many things makes life exciting and keeps it progressing. I could drop all the balls, but then I would accomplish nothing and probably get very bored. So I’m learning instead to become a better balancer:
- Keep first things first.
- Evaluate what I’m doing and drop anything unproductive/needless/purely selfish or earthly.
- Lay out weekly and monthly schedules and don’t try to do everything at once.
- Value rest and recreation (aka keep a Sabbath!)
- Don’t procrastinate.
- Recognize that not everything has to be done right now.
Do you have a hard time balancing all you do? What are some of your strategies for better balancing?
Yes, I have an incredibly hard time balancing out what I do. I don’t tend to procrastinate (anymore ;-)), but I do tend to drive myself, and to try to get everything done by the end of the day. I also have this idea that I’m the one who has to do everything (make sure younger siblings are ready to go places, keep the house clean, help with dinner, etc.) I’m learning to balance this out by thinking, “Is someone else taking care of this? Does this item NEED to be done by the end of the day?” and stuff like that.
Keeping my priorities in the right places is essential to balancing out the things I do in a day. For example, making sure I delve into God’s Word at some point during the day (normally in the morning) rather than trying to fit in an extra project or activity. Or going on a walk/playing a game with siblings instead of going out with friends every day.
I suppose this is like almost everything else in life – trying to find a balance between two extremes. i.e. not getting anything done, versus overachieving in every area of life, or only ever eating whole-wheat, sugar-free, and raw foods versus constantly consuming processed, unhealthy, and canned goods – the key is balance.
Thanks for your comments! Morgan, I think you’re right. It’s funny how so many of us naturally go to extremes — we think we’re only doing something right if we do it “all the way.” But so often the best way is in the middle. I think that’s one reason God made the Sabbath ;). Otherwise we’d think we had to work every second!
Everyone else has already said what I think, so I guess I’ll just ditto all of the above! :)
Oh … and say thank you for sharing this, Rachel – I really appreciate hearing another perspective on something I struggle with every day of my life!
For me, a day of TOTAL rest is vital. One day in seven, my family and I don’t even turn the coputer on and check email and having a chance to sleep and read and talk (as well as go for country walks and do things like that for which there’s no time during the working week) is life-saving – or so it feels. I honesly don’t know how people who work 24/7 DO it for weeks and months at a time.
Your comments about not trying to do everything at once and not thinking that everything needs to be done now make me smile – I tend to try and do everything at once and panic because I can’t do everything NOW.
I’m trying – oh so hard – to take one day at a time and prayfully learn the art of balance from God. I guess I need to ask Him more what HIS priorities for my life and any given day are – and then stop and listen!
P.S. I’m sorry – that was a very long “ditto”! :)
And I’ve just realised I’ve left four comments on your blog today in TWO names – ladyfelicity and Elisabeth. I’m sorry! I’m pushing to edit the last 30,000 words of my book and it’s definitely doing something funny to my comprehension and memory!
Ha, no need to apologize for being an active participant! It’s commenters who make blogs fun :).