3 Steps to Getting Your Life Back!

by Brandon Jubar

Recent studies show that more and more people are becoming almost obsessed with their jobs. They work long hours during the week, "stop in" at the office for a few hours on the weekend, check voicemail and email while on vacation, and have thoughts of work haunting them almost everywhere they go.

Do you get your lunch from a vending machine and eat it at your desk? Do you only see your family while they're sleeping soundly in their beds? Is your closest relationship with your laptop or blackberry? If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions, it's time for you to get your life back!

Step 1: Clarify Your Focus

Take some time to examine what's important to you, in both your personal and professional life. What brings you the greatest satisfaction? What would you really like to accomplish? Identify these things and set both short-term and long-term goals based upon them.

Now focus on the tasks that consume the greatest amount of your time. Do these tasks support the goals you have set? Do they support the things that you've identified as being most important to you? If not, then it may be time to clarify what it is that you need to focus most of your attention on.

Step 2: Prioritize Your Tasks

Chances are you won't have time to do everything that you want to do on any given day. So if you find yourself running out of time (or always running late) when it comes to doing the things you focused on as being important, then it's time to re-prioritize your to-do list.

When you make the tasks that support your goals the most important things on your list, then you will find yourself becoming more and more satisfied with the amount of work you accomplish. You still may not have enough time to do everything you'd like, but your satisfaction will improve because what you did accomplish was the most important.

Step 3: Set Boundaries and Keep Them

Everything we do must be done in moderation in order to keep our lives balanced. The way to achieve that is by setting appropriate boundaries. It's not enough to simply prioritize your tasks because, for instance, you must earn a living even though family may be your top priority.

The most common boundary to set is around work. Do you find yourself working late, bringing work home, or talking about work during social occasions? If so, then you probably need to work on setting (and sticking to) boundaries regarding when and where you will focus on work goals. Especially for people who are in the early stages of their careers, this can be a very difficult yet important step to take. And if you find it hard to work within the limits you've set for yourself, you may want to consider whether or not the type of work that you are doing is right for you.

Getting your life back will take some time, thought, and a great deal of discernment. So take the time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit guide you as you clarify your focus, prioritize your tasks, and set boundaries that will keep your life in balance. It's time for you to get your life back!

Life Applications:

How much time do you spend focusing on your career?
How much time do you spend being with your family?
What is the single thing that occupies the largest portion of your time?

Copyright 2006 by Brandon Jubar
All rights reserved.