We all lead fairly busy lives and it is easy to feel overwhelmed or unbalanced in some way. If we work outside the house, we might feel that we are spending a lot of time at work and not enough time at home. Or we might feel that we spend a lot of time doing for others and not enough time on ourselves. Or career work and housework take up most of our time and we haven't time for family, friends, leisure, etc. There was a time when I felt like my life was very unbalanced and then, I found out about something called a "balance wheel", with each spoke representing a segment of your life: spiritual, home/environment, family, work, health, finances, leisure, etc. The goal is to make each segment equally plumped so that your wheel is less wobbly.
These days, my monthly goals are based on the segments of my balance wheel and I try to incorporate the balance wheel concept into my daily life. I don't necessarily set out with the decision I am going to work on specific spokes on any given day. But, at the end of each day, I like to review what I have done that day and see which spokes I have touched upon. Then, at the end of the week, or after two weeks, I can get an idea of which spokes are not being touched and take steps to remedy that.
For example, yesterday - I started and ended the day with my daily devotions (spiritual), went to the office (career), paid some bills (finances) and went to the post office to mail them during my lunch break (time management), and, on the way back from the post office, I went to the pharmacy to pick up one of my medications (health, time management). While I was at the office, the gardener mowed my back garden (outside environment). In the evening, I had a phone call from my half-sister (family) and I called a friend (friends). Then, daughter and I spent the rest of the evening video chatting (child). I emailed a friend (friends), posted on my blog and read a few other blogs (leisure) and I read a few pages in my library book (leisure).
Looking over it, I can see that I touched on most, if not all, of my particular balance wheel segments. At first, I felt that I hadn't done anything in my Productivity/Time Management segment, mostly because I didn't do anything particularly productive in the evening (such as housework, crafts, etc.) But I figured that, by fitting in two errands (post office and pharmacy) during my 30-minute lunch break, I was managing my time well. And it's OK to not spend a Friday evening doing housework! It's called leisure! :D
This morning, I am sitting here, trying to make a weekend to do list when all I really want to do is sew! But I know that I really need to make an effort to get in some housework (inside environment) and "productivity", which, for me, means doing something other than reading, watching TV, playing games on the computer, etc.
So, this weekend's to do list, in no particular order as there's nothing that needs to be done on a particular day:
- Laundry (my bed sheets; sofa dust covers) - Done
- Tidy/dust family room- Done
- Repair daughter's triangles quilt
- Make bread - Done
- Make chicken & vegetable soup - Done
- Run the dishwasher - Done
- Do some filing - Did some
- Water/fertilize the indoor plants - Done
- Put gas to the car (can be done Monday, after work)
- Buy edging stones for front rose bed
- Take some succulents/drought tolerant plants cuttings to root - Done
- Deadhead the roses - Done
- Sew pillowcases (Work In Progress) - Done
- Sew machine cover
Let's see what I manage to accomplish!
How do you try to balance the different segments of your life to achieve an overall well-balanced feeling?
What have you planned for this weekend? Do you have a weekend to do list?
I love the wheel of balance.. Such a great idea [so you don't get left out.. us women tend to forget our on selves ha]
ReplyDeleteLove to sew too, and am ready for some me sewing.
Hope you have a great weekend, and get your to do list done.
Yes, the balance wheel is a very useful tool, I've found. Oh, I hope you get a chance to sew soon. I've read some of the older posts on your sewing blog and you do some lovely work! Hope you are having a wonderful Easter with your family.
DeleteI don't really have a to do list. Plenty of stuff needs done, but as usual doesn't work out. Saturday we were supposed to get the living room all cleaned up, but the only thing that got done was the carpet. We got a late start grocery shopping due to somebody not wanting to get off their computer and then I scrubbed the carpet, but when it came time for somebody to work while I took care of Little Wolf, they wouldn't quit playing games and promised it would be done before bed. So of course the only thing that got done was the carpet. Urg. Sorry, rant over.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, my weekend to do list always include some kind of cleaning. Today I'll be gone most of the day to a cookout at the in-laws, so nothing will get done besides that most likely. I attempted to sew something this morning, but I just don't know how. It's a plush Easter basket in the shape of a dog that I've had for years, but inside was broken plastic. Instead of just throwing it away I was going to see if I could cut the plastic out and sew it back up, didn't really care about how it looked. Well, I do not know how to sew in the least apparently. But the husband learned when he was in the Navy so did it and it looks alright.
Jess, (((HUGS))). It is so frustrating when we are waiting on someone else to pitch in with cleaning, etc., isn't it? At least your husband was able to sew your Easter basket; that counts for something, I'm sure.
DeleteHere's something I learned about doing housework - break down the big jobs. Cleaning the living room is a big job. See if you can break it down to cleaning the carper (already done! It probably was the biggest job!), tidying the coffee table, dusting the furniture, picking up baby's toys and putting them away, etc. If you have a lot of furniture, or big items like a book case or a desk, list those as separate jobs. Then, take one item and do it in 15 minute segments. What that means is spending only 15 mins. on it - if 15 mins. is too long with a baby, etc., then, do 10 mins. or even 5 mins. Dust one shelf instead of the whole book case. Do one drawer instead of the whole desk. After the 15 mins., take a break - for 15 mins! Set a timer, so that, after the 15 min. break is over, you can decide what you want to do next. Spend another 15 mins. cleaning or consider your cleaning done for the day. I've learned that it's OK to spread the cleaning over the week; it won't get it done as quickly as you'd like, but 15 mins. a day can get a big job done in small segments.
Have fun at the cook-out, today. Enjoy yourself and enjoy Little Wolf's Easter (his 1st Easter?)