10 Steps to Creating a Personal Vision for Work/Life Balance

Have you ever felt as if you can never balance all the activities between your work obligations and home obligations? If so, then the 10 steps identified below will definitely help you create balance and personal vision for work/life balance.

Define your personal vision that encompasses any aspirations in all areas of your life. By defining your personal vision, you will be able to make change and achieve better outcomes.

STEP ONE: Quit going in circles

Setup time to determine what are the tasks at work and at home that have competing priorities. Next you will determine how to prioritize those competing tasks. Is that task really that important? Is someone depending on it? Is it due immediately or can it wait? Keep asking questions and prioritizing until you see no more conflicts. By determining those tasks that conflict will bring you closer to your vision for work/life balance.

STEP TWO: Take care of your inner self

This isn’t just about exercising and eating well, but it is also about connecting with friends, embracing hobbies, connecting with mother nature, etc. You need to put yourself first before you can take care of others – think of being on a plane and the flight attendance announces that if there were an emergency to place the oxygen on yourself before you place oxygen on anybody else. There is a reason for that order! When you start identifying what motivates you then this will get you one step closer to your vision for work/life balance.

STEP THREE: Document your successes and failures

It is always good to reflect on what has gone well and what hasn’t gone so well. Next to each item, you will want to document what you did to achieve the outcome and any ability or skill you used to achieve it or what ability or skills you would have needed to have made that failure a success. This activity data will be used in a few steps below that will get you one step closer to your vision for work/life balance!

STEP FOUR: Write in your journal on a daily basis

Mark out some time in the day to focus on clearing your mind. Document and write about all the things on your mind. There is no time limit or word limit to this activity. However, you should do this on a daily basis as this will get you one step closer to your vision for work/life balance.

STEP FIVE: Review your journal and identify themes

Once you have your journal going then take time on a weekly basis to review your journal. Do you see any commonalities or themes, especially when it comes to scheduling your time or competing priorities? Make a list of those challenges that you read in your journal that are documented over and over again, especially those that impact your work/life balance. Once you get in a habit of doing this, you will get one step closer to your vision for work/life balance!

STEP SIX: Define / document your vision

Your vision is something you aspire to be in every area of your life. Example: I am a Mom, an Executive, a Wife, a Daughter, a Volunteer, a Traveler, a Coach – as you can see, I carry many aspects in my life. I am not just one thing. Make a category for each aspect of yourself and below each, write an inspirational sentence. Focus only on your aspiration for each of these categories.

Example for Coach: I want to provide value for my customers in that they are able to improve their life, embrace change, and live an amazing life!

STEP SEVEN: Create an action plan using SMART goals

Once you have identified your vision from Step #6, you will want to document goals that will drive success for each of your categorized aspirations. Match the skills you listed from your successes to your goals in the areas you want to improve and then use those skills to create your actions. Also, remember the failures too – they are equally important. Do you have the current skills for a particular goal that will drive a success for your or will it become another failure? If you don’t yet have a particular skill, that is okay. Make some short-term goals that will provide incremental improvements for you rather than a one-time big bang goal where you can get frustrated if you don’t meet it within a short time period.

Once you identify any short- or long-term goals for each aspiration then you will need to create an action plan for each.

STEP EIGHT: Read your vision multiple times a day

Reading and reviewing your vision is extremely important. This allows self-assessment as how you are tracking to your action plan to achieve your goals that will allow you to achieve your aspirations. Be honest with yourself – are you reading your aspirations, goals and action plans and are you moving the action items to get to what you desire or want out of your work/life balance? This doesn’t just happen! You have got to dedicate yourself into following through with achieving your actions and goals in order to achieve your aspirations.

STEP NINE: Relay your vision to others

It is extremely important to relay your vision to your family, friends and coworkers. This reinforces who you are and what aspire to be in both family and work, while balancing all sides of YOU!

STEP TEN: Celebrate your wins

When you do complete your action plan that allows you to achieve a short- or long-term goal towards your aspiration then PLEASE – take the time to celebrate this win!! Celebrating is important – it shows that not only are you moving the needle to become a better you, but you’re also recognizing and celebrating each ‘new’ YOU!

Are you stuck or don’t know how to move forward?

Don’t fret! You’re not alone! Chef of Beauty is here to help you out on any of your consultation or coaching needs. With our goal-based approach we will help you make your dream a reality! We can help you in many ways: