Guest Post: Work/Life Balance: 3 Tips from Life Coach Ryan Murtfeldt

Does this sound familiar? Your doctor wants you on the anti-inflammatory diet, your physical therapist wants you to try a daily Pilates routine, and you've been planning to start meditating every morning! Of course you want to be healthy, but between work, the kids, and a little fun on the weekends, who has time for it all?

In our busy lives, finding a good work/life balance is an important key to having great health. Here are a few tips from a career coach:

 1) Consciously use your strengths at work every day. Studies show that people who "do what they do best every day" have more energy and vitality, and experience less stress. What do you love to do best? What gets you hopping out of bed in the morning? Can you find ways to do more of that at work on a daily basis? It might sound like wishful thinking, but a technique called Job Crafting is helping people restructure their current jobs, so they're doing more of what they love to do (using their strengths), and less of what drains them. Read more in this inspiring Harvard Business Review article.

 2) Envision your ideal career and lifestyle. What would it look like to have a terrific work/life balance? Be bold, and get specific. Ask yourself, "What one, small step I can take today to start moving towards my ideal?" If you get stumped, close your eyes and envision that ideal career. Imagine all the details. How does it feel? Then ask yourself, "How exactly did I get here? What steps did I take? Who helped me? What strengths did I employ?" The key is to have a crystal clear vision of what you want, and then start taking action. Small, strategic steps are the best place to start. Go knock it out of the park!

 3) Get good at saying NO! A personal mission statement can help. A mission statement is a declaration of your life's purpose, your deepest values and priorities. Once you have this, it's like having a compass out in the woods. It keeps you on your path. It helps you know which opportunities to grab and which to let go. Then you'll have plenty of time to go to the gym and chop that kale! Try this cool mission statement builder at www.FranklinCovey.com.

If you'd like to take this to the next level, just hit reply to set up a complimentary coaching consultation. Do you have work/life tips of your own to share? Please add a comment!

All the best, Ryan