To accomplish anything in this world, balance is key. The four parts of balance are Sleep, Productivity, Downtime, and Reward. During the work week, I get up at 4:30am to get ready for work. I turn on music and I prepare for the day. I do this by ridding myself of all the distractions around me. This downtime prepares my mind and my body for whatever the world throws at me this week.
On Saturday, I plan out my week. I get up at 7 A.M., and I look at my schedule for the upcoming week and tasks that need to be completed for the week. I then allow myself time to do each task with a small break in between to provide myself with a little bit of cushion. This cushion allows me to prepare for times when meetings run over, or when a task takes too long. I also give myself some type of reward when I complete my tasks for the week. Maybe it’s a movie or dinner with the husband, or just some time to strum my guitar and make a music video (oh yeah I make music videos because I ROCK!!!).
One of the most important parts of the balance, that most people overlook is sleep. They sleep too little or they sleep too much, never realizing without this key part of their cycle they will impact the rest of the life balance. If you have too little sleep your mind and body will not be as sharp and your productivity will suffer for it. This will make you spend more time correcting productivity issues that arise from not paying attention to detail. Meanwhile, your body is only focused on the fact that you are tired. This will then cut into your downtime and eventually your reward, after all by its very nature a reward is only given if a goal is accomplished.
Another example, if you get enough sleep and your productivity is high, you will knock out all your to-do lists. You can then utilize your downtime and provide yourself with a reward to help keep you motivated and continue your pace. This will keep you from hitting a point, where you feel overwhelmed that all you do is sleep and work.
