Finding the time.

Lately I have been feeling like I am in a constant time crunch!! I know that everyone wishes there were more hours in the day – even if just to sleep more, but seriously there has to be a way to juggle it all with in the 24 hours that the good Lord gave us. Over the past 5 years I have worked my face off in search of a balanced life (yes, I know that working one’s face off for balance is tad contradictory, but stay with me here). I’ve spent most of my life living the opposite of balanced; in fact some might say it was insanity – living on the edge of 2 extremes: deep depression, sleeping 18 hours a day, only facing people when it was absolutely necessary and all things un-pretty to being up for days at a time, being the life of the party, making obsessive lists, seemingly getting lots done, meetings, jazz hands, out every night, martini, martini, martini, talking a million miles a minute, more jazz hands, being the girl that everyone loves who is taking over the world with a smile on her face and Gucci shoes on her feet (!!!!!) [pause for breath], all the while not even acknowledging that there is even the possibility of a middle in between. That middle where the magical state of balance resides. “Balance” was elusive to me, an urban myth that only existed on the pages self-help books and on occasional episodes of Oprah (although lets be honest, most of those ladies were probably making it up).

I will say that I am at a place where I am as close balanced as I ever have been and believe me, that is quite an accomplishment considering where I have come from. That being said, I still struggle with fitting it all in. I am sure you are thinking: ‘learn to say NO’, but it is not even that kind of stuff. Its stuff that I want to fit into my life because it is important to me. Things like (in no particular order):

Working out.
8 hours of sleep (at least).
Working hard at my really amazing job.
Being a good girlfriend to my really amazing boyfriend.
Being a good friend to all my really amazing friends.
Being a good daughter/sister/granddaughter/cousin/niece/auntie.
Quiet time.
Grocery shopping. Cooking. Cleaning. Laundry.
Blogging and responding to comments (which I love, BTW – so please keep ‘em coming)
Writing thank you notes and just because notes and birthday cards.
Reading the 20 books that I really want to read.
A TV show (or 3).
Responding to emails (sorry to those who I always lag on, you know who you are).
Acupuncture.
Volunteering.
Miscellaneous things that come up.

I am sure you can look at this list and find a few things to cross off, but that is not what I am interested in. I want to know how you do it? How do you fit everything that is important to you in? How do you prioritize? Where do you find the time? Have you found that magical place called balance?