Where’s the Balance?
This new year, 2026, has definitely been a balancing act already. Extra hours of work, nasty weather, illness in my family, never ending chores…it all has been piling up this month. Where is the balance? The short answer is…there hasn’t been a lot.
Finding balance during difficult times is tough. Making ends meet is a necessity that keeps me from finding the exact balance I want in my life right now. Still, I do my best to include the things I love in tandem with the things that are necessary. Listening to an audiobook while I clean, doing a French lesson on Duo Lingo before bed, meeting with my writing mentor on a lunch break call—all things that I’ve done this month to keep some sense of joy in my life.
With all that’s been going on this month, I will be taking some time off in February and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s not the answer to long term balance, but hopefully it can help me get some life systems in place to make finding balance a little easier.
If you too are struggling to find balance in your life, I’d like to make a few suggestions. They are probably all things you’ve heard before but just good reminders. Take what works for you, leave what doesn’t!
Meal Prep! It can be a life saver on those busy work nights when you don’t have the time to cook.
Consider doing dishes that share ingredients for quicker prep. For example, sometimes I will make several dishes that use ground beef so that I can just brown one big batch and then separate them into their ultimate dishes (like spaghetti and tacos). If you’re tight on time, buying frozen veggies (usually already cut or diced) can definitely save some time!
10 min cleaning sprees: If you have less time, adjust it—even a 5 min spree can knock something off your to do list.
A quick wipe down of the counter or the mirror in the bathroom or running the vacuum. It all counts toward a cleaner home.
Use an App like Structured to help you plan out your day. It may seem anal at first, but it can also be satisfying to see what you’ve knocked off your to do list!
Using a scheduling app made me realize the times I was just mindlessly scrolling rather than taking care of something I had been putting off.
Make sure you leave time for things you enjoy, even if it is a short window of time for that thing.
Yes, even that mindless scrolling can count here! If it brings you joy go for it.
Make time for physical activity. (This one I am guilty of skipping but need to make more of an effort to do!)
There are some great short exercise videos you can watch on YouTube that can help keep you on track!
Finding balance within your day in whatever way works for you will bring about more balance in your whole life. Write down your ideas to bring balance to your life and try implementing them!
