Finding harmony in various aspects of your life including work, lifelong learning, finance, family, health and spirituality is a constant challenge.

Here are eight steps that will help towards this difficult challenge:

➢ Define your priorities – When faced with the difficult choice between work and family, select the one that needs you more in that situation. For example, if you have to make a choice between attending your child’s first piano recital, probably his first performance in a public setting, and going in for a meeting, rescheduling the meeting might be a better option.

➢ Plan ahead – Pick a day of the week to plan your next 7 days. I usually pick Sunday night. Take 20 minutes to set up your agenda for the week ahead. This will not only help you take a weekly view on organizing your activities but will also ensure that you work smarter and quicker.

➢ Create a good support network – Remember you can’t do it all alone. Create a network of family and friends that you can rely on for support and guidance during times of need. Having a good partner or buddy to share responsibilities with can help tremendously. Similarly, at work, develop a network of people who you can rely on during a crisis. Initiate and reciprocate. Also, spend time and effort to acknowledge and nurture these special relationships.

➢ Lay down your limits and boundaries – Determine for yourself what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior and use that as a reference point for decisions. This will also give you the added impetus to say “no” when you see others making unreasonable demands on your time.

➢ Create your own family rituals and activities – Set up special occasions and activities that help enhance the intimacy of your family life. For example, a Scrabble night with your family every Saturday or 20 minutes with your child before every bedtime can strengthen relationships and offer a stable, secure environment for your family.

➢ Be flexible – Though it’s good to set your priorities and agendas ahead of time, make the best of the uncertainty of life. For example, the cancellation of a meeting can give you a great opportunity to spend quality time with your child.

➢ Let go of guilt – Guilt is essentially an internal dissonance or clash between what you think is right and what you actually did, or didn’t do. But instead of learning from the experience and trying to best resolve the situation, we use our guilt to punish ourselves and sabotage our future happiness. Hence let go of guilt once you have learned your lesson. Don’t allow it to run your life.

➢ Create time for yourself – Responsibility towards your family or work starts with assuming responsibility for yourself. If you are constantly stressed out, you’ll never accomplish much in spite of the hours you put in. Hence, take some time out for yourself every day. Spend it in quiet meditation, indulge in a hobby – but spend some quality “me” time. This will not only help you rejuvenate but also give you space to see things from a larger perspective.