“Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don’t for a minute lose sight of them.  They’ll keep your soul alive and well, they’ll keep you fit and attractive.”  ~Proverbs 3:21-22 (The Message)

As a mom, minister, wife, friend, business woman, and music teacher, life gets “a little crazy” at times.  Most days are spent helping the kids with school, running them to gymnastics or dance, working, ministry, cleaning, and “putting out fires”.

Years ago, I realized that I had to find a way to “create balance out of everyday chaos”.

If you struggle with keeping balance in your life, you might find that balance by incorporating the following:

• Color Coded Calendar – Get a calendar (month-at-a-glance).  Write in appointments and re-occuring responsibilities 3-6 months out.  Color-code (i.e. Orange = family, Green = special appts., Blue = business, etc.)
• Make a List – Get a small, spiral bound  notebook.  Write each day of the week on the top of the paper.  List appointments accordingly by importance or time.  If a task isn’t completed on the assigned day, move that task to the next day.  When all tasks are completed for each day, remove that sheet from the notebook.
• Disperse Household Duties – make responsibilities age appropriate for kids. 
• Use Your Electronic Secretary – Allow voice mail to answer calls.  Return calls at a convenient time.  This is not being rude.  It’s managing your time wisely.
• Make Meals Easier – Use a crock-pot to prepare meals.  Prepare extra food when cooking so you can freeze the left-overs and use them on a busy day.
• Combine Errands – Look at your week and group errands together so your “running time” is used to it’s fullest potential.
• Carpooling - Trade driving the kids to sports/activities with a friend.  
• Kid Swap – Trade babysitting hours with a friend.  This will give both you and her several hours of “alone time” to run errands or go to appointments that are not kid appropriate.

There’s much to be said about prioritizing.  I’ll share some great tips with you about that next time.

You don’t have to feel like things are “out of control”.  Take a little time to implement these proven steps for creating balance in your life.  You’ll be glad you did!

*photo above taken from www.freefoto.com