A balancing act…

Balance is a tricky thing. Userful, too. Most folks, these days, when talking about balance, refer to the mythical “Work-Life Balance,” which typically indicates your mental state. Then, of course, there’s actual balance, which helps indicate your physical well-being. Here are two exercises to help you reconsider balance, in both forms.

In "You: The Owner’s Manual", authors Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz recommend standing on one leg with your eyes closed. The longer you can maintain your balance, the younger your brain is. Spoiler alert: younger brains are better. According to the authors “…fifteen seconds is very good if you are forty-five or older.” To increase your balance, Roizen and Oz suggest working out with free weights. To increase your overall lifespan, check out the book.

To determine how much balance you’ve got between work and life, try this exercise. Close your eyes and picture what you’d like your life to look like. Imagine that you’ve woken up before anyone in your household. Picture yourself getting up, having your breakfast and getting ready for work. What do you want it to look like? Imagine your family saying goodbye. What do you want that to look like? Now picture yourself going to work. Not the work you do today necessarily, but the work you want to do. What does that look like? How does it feel? Does any of this match your reality? To increase your overall lifespan, check out what you’re doing. And, in GTD terms, figure out if it’s truly important or just stuff you’re keeping yourself busy with.