Are you out of balance in your life? Would you like to get more balance? Does life seem to be all work and no pleasure? Would you like to get more of what you want? Do you resent the time you give to others and wish you had more time to yourself? Would you like to do some things for you?

This article offers some easy steps to a more fulfilling life.

1. Know what you really want

Since work life balance is about enriching your life, a great start point is to know what you really want. Common sense yes, but not always common practice!!!

When I ask people what they really want, they often tell me they don’t know. Imagine that by clarifying your goals you could get anything you want. If however, you don’t know what you want, you’ll get what you get by default.

Another answer people give to the question “What do you want?" is “Well, what I don’t want is …". The client may say for example that they want to stop doing certain things. Again, imagine that you can get anything you put your focus on, what happens if I say “Don’t think about of a dog chasing a cat right now!!" If you focus on what you don’t want – then that is what you are likely to get. So what have you been focussing on recently?

In other words begin to think about what you really want. You might think about this in various areas of your life e.g. your work/job, your family, your social life, your pleasure time etc. Write down what you want in each area and prioritise what you would like to spend “spare time".

Remember you can’t save time by not spending it - but spending it wisely is the key to work life balance.

2. Create a time log

There are 168 hours in any week. Consider how you spend those hours.

Add up the number of hours you spend sleeping, at work, looking after the family, doing “chores" etc and deduct these “must do" hours from the 168 hours in the week. How many hours are left?

If you have a minus figure or are surprised just how many spare hours you have, maybe you have miscalculated or overestimated. If this is the case, keep a log of how much time you spend in each area (day by day, hour by hour). Keep the log over the period of a week (pick an average week) and you will gain a more accurate estimate to work from.

3. Start to “win back" time.

Maybe by being more assertive you can get help from your partner, children etc. Maybe there are things that don’t need doing so often (or at all). Begin to prioritise the importance of what you do.

The litmus test is to imagine that there was an emergency in your family and you had to find another 7 hours per week (an hour a day right?) to deal with it. If it were an important emergency you would find the time wouldn’t you? How would you do it? What would have to go? Maybe there are things that don’t need doing so often. Begin to prioritise ferociously.

4. Give yourself a present

That’s right, you deserve it. Begin by giving yourself a gift of 7 hours per week immediately.

If you dig a hole in the garden and walk away from it what happens? Eventually the hole gets filled up again … usually with rubbish. Fill the 7 hours with things you have always wanted to do (step 1 above), things you have heard yourself saying, “I’ll do it one day when I have the time …"

As you begin to get time for yourself and for what you want to do, you’ll find that you begin to enjoy other areas of your life more. You will stop resenting the things you do for others and you’ll become more effective in the time you do spend on them, thereby creating even more time for yourself, which brings me to my final point.

5. Review Monthly

Consider, on a monthly basis, how you are doing. Maybe you can reclaim even more time; maybe you’d like to re-assess what you want or your priorities.

Notice how you are feeling and remember – “charity begins at home". You can only really look after others if you take good care of yourself!!