I am constantly looking for ways to keep my life in balance. When I finally feel like work is under control, finding time for working out becomes an issue. And what about writing, reading and making art. And I can’t possibly forget to spend time with family, friends and my husband. I miss going camping or even the occasional hike.

More time always seems like the best solution. There is no way I’m getting up at 5 a.m. to squeeze in more time like Margaret Thatcher and Frank Lloyd Wright. And multitasking has proven to burn the brain since it is really only switching back and forth between things rapidly.

The way I attempt to find balance is by looking at my life in bite sized pieces and press forward in making things happen. I don’t give up on anything and I don’t really want to trim back. Every week I look at my schedule and add in times I can get to the gym or taking a run. I try to read nightly before I go to bed. I plan to add writing back into the mix starting now. I try to write at least two letters or postcards per week (I managed to send one 23 out of the 31 days in July during my challenge). I still need to work on carving out time for camping, vacations, friends and family. Oh, and this blogging stuff.

The hardest time about finding balance is that you actually have to work at it. It is easy to become complacent and fall into a rut of watching movies and staring at your computer screen watching the social media streams flow by. And sometimes you just need to celebrate your successes. Every time I get down about the things I haven’t done, I try to think about the things that I have done… like this year alone I have written more short stories than any other year and read more books than any year since college. We went to Palm Springs and Cambria. I started working at a place I absolutely love. I also feel more connected to my friends and community than ever. Things are happening. I made them happen. And you can too.