Finding Balance

Balance: An even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady

Balance is something I struggle with. It's something I've always struggled with. No, I don't mean that I can't stand upright on one foot. I'm actually pretty good at that. What I mean is that I have trouble finding balance in my life, in many areas. I find something I like and tend to focus on that, solely, to the detriment of everything else. I've been slacking off on the writing something horrible, ever since SWTOR came out. If any of you are gamers, you feel my pain. It's so much more fun than dealing with real life issues. But believe it or not, before that, I did the same thing with writing. My life was consumed with everything writing, to the detriment of everything else.

While I was writing this, oddly enough I found a blog post from someone else who also has trouble balancing. It has some really insightful advice from Kristen Lamb. (Kristen is one of my heroes, by the way.) The blog pretty much says what I already knew, but for some reason, I can tell myself something a million times over and it won't take root until someone else says it.

So what did I learn from that blog post? First and foremost, I need to say no, even to myself. Second, I need to get back to creating lists. My new computer setup doesn't allow for easily viewable lists, so I need to figure out where to put them. Third, I need to prioritize. I stress out about what I "should" do (I really hate the word should), or what I think others think I should do, and don't focus enough on what I need to do for me. So I need to narrow down the scope of what really needs to get done, not just chore-wise, but for my own emotional well-being.

Do you ever struggle with balance in your life? How do you keep one aspect from overrunning all the others?

Just a little reminder: Jane #6 is in the works and you get to name one of the characters! Head on over to this post to enter your suggestion and get a chance to win a signed copy of Jane Vol. 2.