The only thing harder than finding more time is finding balance in the time you already have.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve felt significantly out of balance. Too much time pulled into work that probably didn’t deserve as much of it as it got. Long days filled with checking boxes with checks and boxes that didn’t have much of anything in them.
I’ve never seen days disappear faster than they are now. I don’t know how they keep getting away from me, my ideal schedule slipping through my fingers like water. A routine of imbalance I can’t seem to break.
My time has been a foothold trap attaching me to somewhere I don’t want to be. Unable to get it off, but able to bring it home, taking my frustration out on the things and people I should be using to release myself from the hold.
Every morning, I try to reset the system. To align my calendar with my honest priorities as best I can.
But even I know that finding balance isn’t as simple as stepping away from hard things. Balance is not found in avoiding the things you don’t want to do. Balance means making sure the hard things are worth it and the energy you spend matches the value returned.
So I ask myself what deserves my time. What deserves my effort. What deserves my best thinking. And what doesn’t.
Some days I find it. But most days I’m not even close.
Balance demands constant rebalancing. Between thinking and acting. Between helping and hurting. Between proactivity and reactivity. Between doing what’s expected and doing what’s necessary.
It only gets trickier when you care. When you want to help. When you want to contribute more. Because the impulse to show up can easily tip into overextending. Pretty soon, you’re micromanaging when you should be mentoring. You’re reacting when you should be planning. You’re stuck in motion with no clear direction.
For me, the adjustment isn’t always turning it off, it often means just dialing it down. Resisting the urge to give everything too much time. Resisting the belief that more effort automatically means better results.
Most importantly, I know I need to protect time around what matters above all else. If you don’t define balance for yourself, someone or something will define it for you.
I recognize that I won’t arrive at balance once and for all. It’s a constantly moving target. A quiet tug-of-war between everything I could do and what I should do.
I have a feeling that the ones who have figured it out are the ones who never stop checking the scale.
From My Desk:
My desk is an absolute wreck, but the perfect representation of unbalance.
Taken this morning at 8:39 AM.
From The Field Review Archives:
The Field Review is a space for exploring the intersection of work, life, and the great outdoors. It’s about figuring ‘it’ out—whatever your ‘it’ might be.
Every Sunday at 10AM EST, I share ideas, insights, and conversations that help break through the noise, offering a real look at how we can all keep moving forward.
If you have any thoughts, questions, or topics you'd like me to explore in future newsletters, feel free to reach out!
Venture Onward,
Jack
Needed to hear this one. Thanks, Jack.
Profound wisdom here Jack. My scales have been out of balance so many and so often that I sacrificed entirely too much energy working for other peoples dreams. I still seek balance in every day but recognizing that I don’t know how much time I have left, the gravity of this challenge is exponentially more important. Thank you for the succinct reminder. Blessings to you Jack for sharing this piece!