Everyone is busy. People, projects and tasks from various parts of your life constantly demand your attention. The myth of “having it all” — being able to perfectly balance all of your obligations and still find time for yourself — simply doesn’t hold true.
But there are some strategies you can implement to help you better plan and prioritize (and stay sane). Below, members of Forbes Coaches Council share their best tip for integrating and accomplishing all of your to-dos.
From top left to right: Gia Ganesh, Virginia Franco, Julia Katsivo, Karima Mariama-Arthur, Judi Rhee Alloway, Adrienne Tom, Tom Rubens, Kat Lessin, Michelle Braden, Elizabeth Saunders, Mark S. Babbitt. All photos courtesy of the individual member.
1. Define Your Non-Negotiables
Every quarter, start with a 90-day goal plan. Distill this down to weekly priorities every Sunday evening, and add a daily planning and prioritizing layer every morning. Identify on a daily basis what the non-negotiable elements are and the top three things that must get done that day. Picking up a child at a certain time may be a non-negotiable. Structure must-do goals around the non-negotiables. – Gia Ganesh, Gia Ganesh Coaching
2. Build In Time For The ‘Nonsense’ Factor
Living life requires you to juggle many balls in the air. You can juggle well most of the time… until one ball drops. A ball dropping is the “nonsense” factor — the car maintenance, kid forgot a lunch, etc., that always rears its head. Build time into your weekly or daily schedule for it. If nonsense doesn’t arise, great. But if it does, you have a boundary to address it without impacting the essentials. – Virginia Franco, Virginia Franco Resumes
3. Stick To Your Calendar
Get a big full-year calendar to hang prominently in a common area. First, table in all the important dates like holidays. Then, add essential activities like child drop-off and pick-up, household chores, etc. Use bright colors for each grouping, like red for work activities and green for grocery shopping or quiet time. All will know what’s taking place where, when, how and by whom. Point to it; abide by it. – Julia Katsivo, Julia Katsivo
4. Examine And Prioritize Competing Interests
Competing interests — both personal and professional — can be difficult to juggle. Complicating matters further is your endeavor to give each item equal time and attention. Here’s the thing: Each component of our lives is uniquely positioned and must be fully examined to determine the difference between what is urgent and what is important. Be intentional and prioritize to find the balance you seek. – Karima Mariama-Arthur, Esq., WordSmithRapport
5. Know Your Top 10 Values
What are your top 10 values? Making daily decisions based on your values can significantly help you prioritize what is most important for you in any given moment. It can keep you on point to reach your daily, weekly, and monthly to-dos for the all of the essential parts of your life. – Judi Rhee Alloway, Imagine Leadership LLC
6. Step Back And Say No
Everyone faces a sea of opportunities and demands, but to excel, you must be selective and focused. You can’t ride every wave that comes along without eventually going under. Identify priorities and schedule them appropriately. Foster essentials in alignment with goals and be OK with saying no to anything that distracts you from your plan. Sometimes you are needed most “on the shore.” – Adrienne Tom, Career Impressions
7. Seek Harmony Rather Than Better Boundaries
Harmony will eliminate the need for boundaries. Boundaries serve to contain rather than empower. A harmonious life is one in which your personal, business and spiritual goals are woven from the same fabric. Setting boundaries will ensure an undesired result: competition among values. Give the important elements of your life the opportunity to support each other rather than fight for attention. – Tom Rubens, Tom Rubens Coaching
8. Be Brutally Honest With Yourself
Having better boundaries means knowing your priorities and limits. Sometimes, life’s essential parts are out of our control; they stack up. Everything feels and seems urgent. That’s when you need to be brutally honest with yourself. What really needs to be done right now and by you? Your self-care and your own recovery is included. Honesty continues with knowing when you can’t do it all. – Kat Lessin, Life by My Design
9. See Where Your Boundaries And Beliefs Intersect Or Conflict
Boundary setting goes beyond a set of guidelines. It is about our beliefs. Make a list of your beliefs and see if any of them are getting in the way of your boundaries. For example, if you believe you are responsible for everyone’s work or even happiness, you may take on more than you should and not properly hold others accountable. – Michelle Braden, MSBCoach, LLC
10. Outsource As Much As Possible
You can get more done by setting boundaries, but at a certain point, delegating is the best option. In most areas, you can get people to help with cleaning, errands, cooking, laundry, car repairs (some dealerships will pick up and drop off your car for you), and almost anything else that needs to get done. Then, focus your time on what only you can do, like your work, family time and self care. – Elizabeth Saunders, Real Life E
11. View Your FOMO As Motivation To Do Everything Better
Many of us struggle with life “FOMO” (fear of missing out). When we’re at work for too long, we miss our friends and family — and even a sense of peace. When we’re with the ones we hold close, we feel we’re missing out on important developments and decisions at work. There is no such thing as “balance.” We work. We live. We do our best. Every day. So embrace FOMO for what it is: a motivator to do it all better. – Mark S. Babbitt, YouTern
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