The art of daily balance — how to prioritise your time and regain control

It helps to remember that our priorities do not always all need to receive equal attention. 

Sometimes, one of them will rise to the forefront and demand more of our time – perhaps a substantial work expectation with a deadline, or caring for a loved one, or commitment to a sport or professional event, or navigating a health issue, or being consumed by a personal project.

When this happens, balance comes with shifting our attention to this priority and giving it our best and most qualitative effort. It’s okay for one important thing to consume us for a time, and it is our intense focus on that priority that will help us to cover ground in that area, or resolve that challenge.

But very importantly, we should also give some thought to identifying the “bare minimums” of time that we allocate to the other important areas of our lives. These are personal and individual, and we should be clear on what they are. 

Some ideas: No matter what big task we are committed to, we could also resolve to save a specific amount each month; we could schedule personal calls on Mondays, we could do at least 20 minutes of movement a day, we could make mostly healthy food choices, we could have family meals together more nights than not, we could stick to our values, we could use our diary, we could read about something new for 10 minutes a day. 

Take the time to sit down and create your own “bare minimums” list. Make it achievable and satisfying, and you may well find that choosing to do those few small things gives you the additional strength and motivation to cope with bigger challenges.

It is when we neglect our other priorities completely that we start to feel out of control. 

Balance can also be understood as staying upright, and not falling over. To do this we need to choose to keep caring for ourselves. Our body and mind will latch on to even the smallest amounts of care that we give them, and will use this to help support us and propel us forward, so that we can achieve our goals. 

Be cautious not to get to the stage where you are “running on fumes” and be clear with yourself on what you need in order to perform – adequate sleep, good nutrition, exercise and time for relaxation. 

Ideally, as the larger demands on our time draw to a close, we want to step strongly over the finish line, and not fall in a heap at the culmination of a commitment.

Reflect and reinvigorate

• What makes me feel calm? List a few things here;


• What makes me feel accomplished? Be as specific as you can;


• What would I like to do more of? Remind yourself as you write how much agency you have here;


• What would I like to do less of? Saying “no”, to others and to yourself, is a powerful time-creation tool; and


• What mindset can I choose to approach each day? Choose at least three words/ways.