Life Management – How to Live a Better-Balanced Life

Finding it difficult to balance your life?

Join the crowd.

Because of over-busyness, we all struggle with balance.

Most of us make several wrong assumptions when it comes to creating a better-balanced life. We assume that “life is just like that,” that we are powerless to do anything about it, even that it’s a temporary problem that will go away when ________________ (you fill in the blank).

All lies.

What lies do we believe about living unbalanced lives? Join the discussion:
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An Unbalanced Life – Case Study

As a self-employed writer, I know what that unbalanced life looks like. I’ve lived it, and I battle against it on a regular basis.

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And with God’s help, I hope to get better.

It’s all too easy for me to allow my work to take precedence over more important things. Even though I view my work as Kingdom-related, other things must come first.

First off, my tendency to want to work all night or into the wee hours of the morning isn’t a good thing. It’s not healthy, and it’s presumptuous of me to think that I am so important that the world will fall apart if I don’t keep working. (So much for living a life of faith, huh?)

Secondly, one reason I work is to support my family. But if I allow my work to become more important than those God has given me, I’ve gone way off track.

An unbalanced life is a life sucked dry of joy, and Jesus wants us to have joy in our lives. It’s part of a balanced life. If our lives lacks joy, it’s time for a change.

While I’m not suggesting it will be easy, there are steps we can all take toward that better-balanced life.

“An unbalanced life is a life sucked dry of joy.” @Cathy_Bryant
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1. A Better-Balanced Life Begins With One Thing.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42, NIV)

You remember the story. You know the type. Martha is me. You know, the death clean, the scooting around at super-sonic speed to get everything done. The type-A personality and over-achiever.

When Martha reprimands Mary in a round-about way through Jesus, He quickly sets the matter straight.

For true balance, we must make this our first priority: sitting at the feet of Jesus in Bible study, prayer, and meditation, listening to Him.

Without this, our outta-whack lives will never be balanced.

If we don’t get this one thing right, our lives will never be truly balanced.
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2. A Better-Balanced Life Must Be Prioritized.

Ask yourself this question: What is your first priority? (If unsure, re-read point #1!)

What is your second? Your third? Fourth? Fifth?

Write them down and consider them carefully. These are your top priorities in order of importance.

Now when you sit down to plan your days, look at how these priorities line up with your to-do list.

If, like me, your to-do list seems endless and ever-growing, it’s time to cull out the unimportant. Yes, the unimportant. Anything that doesn’t relate to your first five priorities is unimportant.

I’m not suggesting that it’s irrelevant. I’m simply saying that if your list is unmanageable, it only makes sense to get rid of anything that isn’t a priority. Doesn’t that make sense to you?

If you can accurately list your top five priorities, you can find life balance.
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3. A Better-Balanced Life is All About Stewardship.

Most of the time, our brains automatically think “money” when stewardship is mentioned.

But honestly, we are stewards of something much more important than money.

Life.

Our lives are a gift from God. In fact, it’s our most important resource. We are managers/stewards of the life we’ve been given, so it makes great sense to live it as well as possible, and to live it with eternity in mind. One day we’ll all be held to account on how we’ve lived (Hebrews 4:13).

If we hired a manager to run a business for us, we would expect him or her to do a good job. We should expect the same thing of ourselves in managing our lives.

For believers, life balance is a matter of stewardship.
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A Better-Balanced Life: Questions to Ask

It behooves all of us from time to time to sit down and give careful consideration to our lives. So find  a quiet place alone from distractions and honestly answer these questions:

What are my top five priorities? Is God in His rightful place?
How does my to-do list line up with my top five priorities? What needs to be wiped off the list?
In what ways has my life become unmanageable and unbalanced?
As steward of my God-given life, am I taking care of my health and well-being in every sense of the word–spiritually, mentally, physically, and in relation to others? What needs to change? What action steps can I take to live a better-balanced life?
Are my projects, hobbies, and work taking a higher priority than my relationship to God, my health, and the people God has placed in my life?
Do my priorities reflect an eternal view? If not, what can I do to change?
Is my life joyful?
Would I hire myself as a manager? Why or why not?

In addition to answering these questions as individuals, it would also serve us well to discuss these things with our spouses. Re-calibrating our lives and our relationships in light of God’s Word and plan is always a good thing.

What are your thoughts on living a better-balanced life? Let’s learn from each other in the comments.

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