Unbalanced but organized

I have a passion for all things organised and I have been accused of being pedantic (obsessive even) and one of the most organised people to know. However despite the faith (or not) that others have in me, there are times in my life when I feel completely out of control . So needless to say, I consider myself well-presented with the intention to stay organised but probably not 100% productive (or balanced).

There I said it, I’m UNBALANCED … Argh!

This now leads me to the reason for this post. LIFE BALANCE! I'm sure you've all thought about it. If you are like me you've probably skimmed and scanned (sometimes read); a lot of articles, musings and rants, ideas, viewed lists and found practical solutions on websites and blogs. I have and so I know I'm not the only person who often feels their life can be cluttered and chaotic at times or just simply UNBALANCED!

To try and overcome these feelings for myself, I developed a system for myself about 5 years ago and called it 8Categories and now this is how I tend to organize myself (not successfully, but I try). This blog focuses on the things I am learning or have learned from the University of Life and in the process I will do my best to fit them into these following 8Categories.

Family

This one I feel, I fail at terribly but is probably the most important category in my life I should be getting right. Family gives me the opportunity to belong, express love, assume and share responsibility, and contribute to a culture and society.

Career

This category provides me with the opportunity to earn an income, express my personality, and develop my professional potential and networks.

Finance

Short of winning the lottery, this category takes a bit of time to get right. it is essential for dealing with the everyday and some of life's big commitments like owning a business, buying a car or house, taking holidays (Greece, yes please), paying for the kids education and planning for retirement.

Friends

I think this category is a tricky one to balance correctly but if you get it right, it is the perfect opportunity share your life and form bonds with like-minded people who you consider close friends and to network and be social with acquaintances (I often get close friends and acquaintances confused),build new relationships, share stories and interests, give and earn support.

Health

This category is something I'm quite passionate about, even more so as I get older and "wiser". My new goal is to ensure I am living a holistic life for the well-being of myself and my loved ones (mind, body, and spirit). For me this category includes regular exercise, a proper diet, sufficient sleep and mental stability and stimulation.

Leisure

This seems like an easy category on first thought, but too many of us today (in my opinion), don't take time for pleasurable activities. Life should be full of fun stuff as well as the work stuff. Recreation helps to release steam and provide opportunities to socialize, learn, and develop new skills and travel of course (did I mention Greece?).

Solitude

This is one category I hardly ever get right. I hate being alone, it's apart of my personality apparently (more on that later). However, I know it's important that we have quiet time to recharge the batteries, meditate, make plans and self reflect. This is a time to work on improving emotional and intellectual development. A time set aside to work on self-improvement.

Spirituality

For me, this category has nothing to do with religion and I must point out here that this is my personal 8Categories for achieving life balance. For me spirituality is about inspiration, appreciation and awareness of all of humanity. I like to live a creative life every day by learning new skills, appreciating life and people, experiencing new things and doing whatever it is that takes my fancy and makes me feel good at the time.

Now in the spirit of creating conversation across social networks, I have just one question to ask, how do you try to achieve life balance? I'd love to hear your ideas!