We do a lot of things, day after day, that don’t really have a positive impact on our lives. So how can we stop wasting our time? In other words, how can we optimize our time so that we stop doing those things that don’t really make us happy? Here are my 5 tips to help you achieve a more balanced life.

1 – Taking stock to optimize your time

The first step to a more balanced life is to take stock. To take stock of all the tasks you perform day after day.

On a sheet of paper, list all the things you do at home, including household chores. And all the things you do at work, from the biggest tasks to the smallest. Try to make the list as exhaustive as possible, without putting too much pressure on yourself.

Once you’ve made your list, take a moment to reread it. Ask yourself if there are things that seem non-essential, or even completely counter-productive. Cross them off your list.

2 – Apply the rule of 20 to optimize your time

A more balanced life means doing only what’s necessary, and getting rid of what’s not. But how do you go about it?

Apply the Rule of 20. This universal rule explains that only 20% of our activities bring us 80% of the positive results we’re aiming for. In other words, only 20% of the things you do at home and at work really bring you 80% well-being and efficiency.

So your goal is to find those 20% of activities and focus on them. In this way, you’ll gradually get rid of the 80% of activities that bring you very few positive results. So, what do you think?

So, go back to your list and circle the activities that seem to you to be part of the 20% of activities that bring you 80% of the positive results in your personal and professional life. In other words, which activities are the most essential. Find them and you’ll find your recipe for a more balanced life.

3 – Detach yourself from the fear of other people’s judgment

I’ve noticed that we do a lot of things, without realizing that we don’t do them by choice or taste, but because we’re afraid of the judgment of others. I’m thinking of certain household chores and certain tasks at work.

So, if you want to have a more balanced life, go back to your list and underline all the activities you think you’re doing because of fear of other people’s judgment. Then ask yourself what you can do to gradually stop doing them.

4 – Do away with automatisms to make better use of your time

And then there are the things we do purely automatically, either because everyone else does them, or because we’ve always done them ourselves. The problem is that, over the years, these automatic activities accumulate and waste all our available time.

So, if you want to optimize your time, go back to your list and put an asterisk next to all the activities you do automatically. Then ask yourself how you can gradually eliminate them from your life.

5 – The secret to a more balanced life

Indeed, there is a secret to living a more fulfilling, less stressful, less boring life. What is it? You may have noticed that we do what we do day after day directed by that one question: “What should I do?”

In other words, we only do what we think we should do day after day. So, with a little hindsight, it’s easy to see why our lives are so unbalanced.

That’s why the secret is to move from the question “What do I have to do?” to the question “What do I want to do?

So it’s not a question of falling into pleasure and distraction. It’s about awareness and empowerment. “I’m responsible for how I use my time, in order to have a more balanced life.”

So, the question is “What do I want to do to have a more balanced life?”. In other words, what is the action that, right now, seems the wisest to take to contribute to a balanced, serene and happy life?

In fact, understand that you have the power to choose at any moment to take the action that will contribute most to your life’s balance. That’s why it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll enjoy doing it. After all, you’ll also choose to pay the bills, clean the house, cook the meals, answer your e-mails – all because they contribute to your life and fulfillment. But the good news is that you’ll no longer do these actions in the same frame of mind, or with the same frequency, for example.

Having a more balanced, happier life isn’t just about doing what we want, it’s about doing what’s right for us, and in the best possible frame of mind. What do you think?

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover How to take time for yourself: 6 powerful tips
Discover A more organized life: How to be more efficient and productive

I recommend this inspiring book:

Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy.

The author offers practical strategies for organizing one’s day and prioritizing tasks effectively. The book’s central metaphor encourages us to tackle the most difficult and important tasks first (the frog) in order to increase our productivity and achieve our goals. It offers time management principles that help us organize our daily activities, reduce procrastination and make the most of our time to improve our efficiency and success.

It’s concise and enjoyable to read. It describes the most important principles of time management to make you a successful and satisfied person.
If you’re feeling swamped by your workload, or if you’re looking to do more with the little time you have, this book is definitely for you.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself