That Work/Life Balance...

Leslie E. from Encino, Ca. asks:

“How do you have time for it all and stay balanced?”

There are two types of staying balanced. One is staying balanced in your mind and body and the other is time spent on various aspects of your life. I think I detect that you are asking more about the latter. Staying balanced is all about time management. You also have to be willing to work at staying balanced and put it into action. By this I mean for example, not feeling guilty if you dedicate time to yourself or your marriage and have to spend away from your children. A lot of parents have a fear of leaving their children with other caretakers. This is important as you must let go and teach your child to be ok with relying on someone else other than his or her own parent. Good choices for caretakers are trustworthy immediate family members, other parents from your child's class who you know well, with whom you feel confident and with whom your child can have play dates, as well as a hired employee who you have watched take care of your children for a good amount of time before leaving him or her alone with your child. But you must try to treat each aspect of your life equally so I suggest writing it in your calendar. For example, you make appointments with your doctors or dentist right? So to stay balanced, you must write in your calendar and plan ahead with date nights, going to the gym, a massage for yourself, or a girls’ night out with friends. It is truly about planning, and if you plan it well, you will be closer to a more balanced life.