Life balance. Is it possible or even obtainable when you’re a mom? I once shared that balance is an impossibility. However, I’ve been on the hunt for a way to achieve more balance in my life. You see, I tend to have this “all or nothing” personality. When I commit to something, if I’m not careful, it will become all-consuming. This is an unhealthy and unrealistic way to live.

I’ve come to realize that if I can focus on smaller goals in various areas of my life, I’ll feel more satisfied than focusing entirely on one area of my life.

While we can never do everything, there is satisfaction in doing something.

There’s never going to be enough hours in the day. Usually something is forgotten or deferred to another day.

It’s essential to remember though, that in order to feel like we’ve accomplished something, we need to make time for the activities that are important to us. Which brings me to my strategy. If you’re struggling to find life balance, perhaps these steps will help you.

photo credit: © depositphotos.com / DmitryRukhlenko

1 – ULTIMATE FOCUS

Choose one ultimate focus for the week. Maybe this is the week that you’re going to research menu ideas for meal planning. Or perhaps this is the week that you’re going to connect with your children in a meaningful way every single day. Document this focus on your calendar.

2 – MAKE A LIST

Make a list of the things that you would like to manage better. Here are some ideas:

• health / fitness
• work deadlines and commitments
• spending quality time with children
• spiritual development
• spending quality time with your spouse
• menu planning
• cleaning
• spending quality time with your friends
• volunteer commitments

Limit your focus to about 3-6 areas.

3- SCHEDULE DAILY TASKS

Now that you’ve made your list, schedule a daily task for each of these areas. The tasks don’t have to be huge. For instance, if you decided that your health and fitness is important, plan a 20-30 minute physical activity every day. Repeat this process for each of the areas in your life.

4- SCHEDULE THE WEEK

Schedule the entire week this way!

5- REFLECT

Reflect on your daily list every morning. Order the day’s activities by priority. Some items may be standard and not a priority (such as your meal plan for the day) but the items that have flexibility should be prioritized.

6- TAKE ACTION

Take action and enjoy the satisfaction of scratching each item off your list!

I made a weekly worksheet for myself and I use it diligently. This worksheet has made a tremendous difference to how much I accomplish in my day! Plus, I can look back on my day with joy and feel content knowing that I worked on improving different areas of my life.

EXAMPLE OF HOW I USE THIS SHEET

Here’s how I use my weekly life / balance worksheet:

MY ONE THING. The chosen focus for the week goes at the top of the sheet and my weekly focus varies. Some examples are:

• Declutter kitchen
• Do one complete unit from Elite Blog Academy
• Organize financial record for taxes
• Outline Bible study
• Write one chapter of Bible study
• Plan editorial calendar for the month

DINNER. I write my dinner plans for every day of the week. This helps me have an at-a-glance view of what preparations I need to make for meals. For example, on a crockpot day, I know that I need to prepare that particular meal first thing in the morning, or I may see that I need to transfer a meat from freezer to fridge to thaw overnight.

CLEANING. I write my main cleaning project for the day. My daily cleaning projects actually come from my printable cleaning schedule. 

KIDS. I plan an activity with my children every day. This practice helps me be the deliberate mom I wish to be and is meant to be something to help us connect with one another. Many of my activity ideas come from my how to connect with your child list.

WORK. I also like to accomplish one work goal per day. This may include a blog post that I would like to write or a unit of Elite Blog Academy that I would like to complete.

HEALTH. One of my goals this year is to exercise more regularly. I schedule an exercise activity for every day.

OTHER. This section is used to record all the extra things, like Bible Study, special outings, activities with friends, self-care activities, and more!

GET YOUR FREE WORKSHEETS

If you would like to have more balance in your life, then I invite you to grab a copy of my life/balance worksheets. I made them in two convenient sizes:

• 8 1/2″ x 11″ (1 per sheet)
• 4 1/4 x 5.5″ (2 per sheet)

You can download the worksheets here:

Life / Balance Worksheet for Moms

Download Now!

While life balance may seem like an impossibility, it’s within our grasp if we accomplish smaller things daily rather than trying to do it all. Sometimes all we need is a plan of attack. I would like to encourage you to try these worksheets for a few weeks and tell me if it transforms your sense of accomplishment, like it did mine!

Jennifer Bly

Author of My Kitchen, My Classroom: An Introduction to Homeschool and creator of The Deliberate Mom. Jennifer writes about parenting, homeschooling, her faith, and life with her husband and two girls. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Applied Human Service Administration Degree with a specialization in Early Learning in Child Care.