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Do you try to slow down your schedule, but without fail, things ALWAYS get busy again?

You’re searching for work/life balance and time to do what matters most, but somehow, it feels like your calendar always magically fills up. You’re running from meeting to meeting, feeling overwhelmed, and you’re not sure how you got here.

How do we manage our time so we can ditch the chaos and find clarity?

I got to sit down with Ciji Townsend on the being BALANCED podcast to discuss solutions. We defined balance and talked strategies you can use to make time for what really matters. Listen to the full episode here.

What does being balanced mean?

Balance is something that is ever changing for our family. Our two girls are constantly growing and developing, and they take up a huge priority for us. Where they are in their lives impacts our priorities and what we define as balance.

That being said, the definition of balance isn’t a strict one; being balanced is a feeling, not a formula. 

You KNOW when it’s out of whack. Just by listening to yourself and paying attention to how you feel will allow you to arrive at what balance means to you. 

Don’t Let Yourself Fall into Default Mode

During the pandemic, so many of us transitioned to working from home, eliminating commutes, and taking a break from social engagements. We were forced to slow down.

Now, the social invitations, community engagement, and work meetings are starting to come back and fill our calendars again. 

My biggest challenge to anyone going through that transition is to not let yourself fall into the default mode of busyness.

Whenever you’re presented with an opportunity that will fill your time and you say “yes,” that means you’re saying “no” to something else. It’s easy to get excited about the fun social engagement and professional opportunities we’re invited to now, because they were so scarce before!

But if you say “yes” to everything, then you’re right back to where you were before: with a calendar bursting at the seams. 

So before you say “yes,” stop and ask yourself:

• Why should I say “yes,” to this meeting, opportunity, event, etc.?
• How does this align with my future?
• Is this event part of the story I want to tell? Or is this just going to take up my time in the short term without giving me a worthwhile return?

And if you’ve said “yes,” to an opportunity and realized you should’ve said “no”… Remember that chances are, there is someone out who will be able to be fully committed to that opportunity. When you step back from something you know you can’t give your all to, you’re actually creating an opportunity for someone else to help the organization even more than you could have. 

Connecting Self-Care with Memories of Loved Ones

When I’m doing self-care, my absolute favorite thing to do is reading Southern Living Magazine on our back porch. 

Getting lost in the pages of home decor that I will probably never assemble, or gardens that I will probably never attend, and recipes I will probably never cook… is my small, frivolous things that I LOVE to do and makes me feel like me.

And honestly, it makes me feel connected to the women in my family. 

I grew up with my grandmother and my mom having stacks and stacks of back issues of Southern Living Magazine on the back porch. I’d pick them up and thumb through them, even as a child. It seems like such a small thing, but it truly helps me feel connected to them. 

I also love baking the white cake on the cover of Southern Living every December! It takes me multiple days to make this cake, there’s so much trial and error… but it’s SUCH a fun experience that I chronicle each year on Instagram!

Want more? Listen to the full episode here, or find out more about being BALANCED here.