30 Small Things That Help Balance Your Life
There are small things we can do every day to contribute to our areas of life outside of work. They don’t have to be huge things that need a plan and plenty of time, they can be as short as ten minutes.
In the Focus Planner, there are daily reminders of your life outside of work. The areas of Home & Relationships and also the area of Self are two of the most important factors in our lives. But because these areas of our lives aren’t structured, people sometimes struggle to find things to do to affect change in these things.
Remember – work is structured to get our attention (read this article on work life balance to see more) – so we need constant reminders and short term tasks to make sure we also focus on our lives outside of work.
So, here are 30 things that you can do. Some of them are really simple and help you in a pinch, or when you are travelling. Others take slightly more effort and can become habits over the long term.
Things You Can Do to Positively Impact Home and Relationships:
- Call one friend
- Meet for coffee/lunch/dinner
- Call home/parents
- Read to the kids
- Help with homework
- Cook dinner for your spouse
- School pick up/drop off (and have a conversation)
- Drop in unexpectedly
- Ask about someone’s day (and actually, listen)
- Clean the house
- Tell someone you appreciate them
- Check your financial goals
- Do something with your pet/s
- Do a workout/walk with a friend/spouse/relative
- Give someone your undistracted attention
Things You Can Do to Positively Impact Self:
- Workout
- Sit and do nothing
- Think about/review your goals
- Read a book/article
- Get a massage
- Do some yoga… even 10 minutes
- Listen to a podcast
- Go shopping – buy something that enriches your life
- Have a bath
- Do some colouring in
- Watch a documentary
- Watch some mindless TV/Movie (limit this to one hour max)
- Go for a walk
- Spend some time – even 30 min – engaged in a hobby
- Work on a project that you like
Should You Do Something EVERY Day?
People ask us this all the time. The answer is no… and yes. No, you don’t have to do something every single day to help it improve. But we suggest doing it more days than you don’t (and with the Focus Planner you can keep track of it!). But if you choose to do something every day, then it becomes a stronger habit a lot quicker.