It is almost 9 p.m. as I am writing this article so you know that work-life balance has always been an illusive quest – at least for me. Recently a colleague shared that we should be looking for life balance, not work-life balance. After 35 years in nursing with all the roles and responsibilities at both home and work, I have some key learning, at least with my personal journey.

I’ll raise the challenge that maybe it is okay to be out of balance as long as we are focused on our priorities, values and hopefully having fun. Many years ago, I remember a speaker that asked, “Think of your childhood and reflect on a time when you were having fun. Visualize what you were doing. Who were you with? Were you in balance?”
I would encourage each of us to do just that. I was sailing on a lake literally flying across the water leaning way over the edge of a C scow. It was sailing on the edge with a joy and adrenaline kick, but one can only do that so long before one has to trim the sails and get to some calm water.

I recently read “Harmonic Wealth” by James Arthur Ray. I loved the book but probably because he discusses the importance of harmony but clearly states, “balance is bogus.” “Harmony is dynamic, full of life, even if you choose to temporarily be in choppy seas.” At different points in time, you may focus and use different skills or different aspects of your life may be more important than others.

So here are my top key learnings on this very important topic.

1. Don’t feel guilty if you are not in balance.
2. Know yourself. Always assess your energy level. We each need to take time to refuel. One can not run on empty for very long. Know what you need to do to re-energize and refuel in a healthy way.
3. Feed your creative spirit. Take time to play, create, or learn a new activity. Share your creativity with others. For some it may be cooking, gardening, writing, music, quilting, photography as just a few examples. Creative harmony makes great synergy. Consider a retreat or sabbatical.
4. Assess your life. Think about what you want to change. What are key areas for success at both home and work that are important to you? Develop your own personal scorecard.
5. Visualize the change. Set realistic and achievable goals. Be intentional.
6. Relationships are important.
7. There are only 24 hours in a day. We each need to make intentional choices about how we spend our time each and every day. If you don’t manage the calendar, it will manage you.
8. Remember the three Ds. You can do, delegate, or delete. Occasionally one can delay but if you are juggling, balls don’t stay in the air for very long.
9. Always know your three top priorities for each day and each week.
10. Develop a system to manage stress. Know when you are under stress. Identify key triggers or red flags that are signs of your stress. Know how to de-stress.
11. Take time to pause, reflect, and exercise.
12. Always follow your heart.
13. Be intentional about your hopes and dreams.

Barbara Pinekenstein RN, MSN, is executive vice president/chief nursing officer at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital and a board member of the Wisconsin Center for Nursing. She can be contacted at www.nursingmatters.com.