Balance

I am struggling to know what it means to have a balanced life these days. I feel like any time away from my kid needs to be justified. I am wracked with guilt when I choose to take a moment for myself. 

But, there is a lot to be balanced in my life: 
Dating my husband
Caring for my daughter
Connecting with family
Work
Working out
Keeping up the house
Keeping up friendships
Church
The list could keep going... 

Some days it feels like I can't win. Other days I feel so exhausted that I freeze and take time to do something that is not important. 

My life coach gave me this chart the other day and it was a big old slap in the face. How often do the square #3 items end up at the top of my list? How often do I avoid box #2 by wasting time in box #4?

Box #2 seems to be the part of my life that gets neglected the most. 

I need to fix that. 

What I have been trying to do lately is focus on what is important. The other week, my husband asked if we could try taking a week off of television to get other important things accomplished. Looking back, I am not sure how many tasks I feel I tended to, but what I do remember is a feeling of peace and calm around our house. 

Maybe there is something to be said about being intentional with our time. Making smarter choices when you start to feel overwhelmed and unbalanced. Sorry, no magical fixes here. Just another human trying to figure it out too.