Learn To Be the Master of Your Own Life
MARGIN
Get Your Life In Order... Then Work To Keep It There!
BALANCE
You have resources like time, energy, and health.
You have responsibilities such as work, family, self-care, friends, and promises made.
If your responsibilities are out-of-wack, one of more of them will adversely affect the others. For example, work and family may make it difficult to maintain a simple workout routine. As well, one or more responsibilities will take up too much of your resources. You may find that too much "going out with friends" is consuming all of your time-- and work is falling behind.
Make your responsibilities only the essential ones (remember that enjoying and fulfillment are essential). Monitor and tweak them so that you aren't over-extended. At the same time, you must constantly monitor your time, energy, health to make sure that you have enough of each at all times... for good times and emergencies!
RESOURCES
Limited Supply
Everyone is free to define their own set of personal resources... but here are a few:
time
health
money
sleep (rest)
mental energy
emotional stability
human connection
love
There are more, of course. Find the ones that mean the most to you.
These resources are limited in supply and need to be monitored... some of the things we do draw from the resource without enough return... too much Netflix anyone?
RESPONSIBILITIES
Promises Made
Most of us have lots and lots of responsibilities. Here is an initial list to get you going:
family
work
personal growth
working out
friends
co-workers
passion projects
promises made to anyone (including yourself)
Most of us are over-committed to some degree. Many of us are overwhelmed or worse. Having too many responsibilities can break us!
If any of these responsibilities gets out of hand, it can wreak havoc on all of the others. It can also start drawing to much of your resources.
Determining what is essential is vital to putting you in a place where you can begin to affect real change.