The ideal, of course, is to find the balance between the two. If you are most happy with an insanely busy lifestyle, and could care less about the cleanliness of your home or the quality of the meals, then this is where you’ll be. If you are like me, though, then sometimes you’ll want lots of free time to read, watch a good movie, or organize and decorate a room. At other times you’ll want busy projects and excitement and goals outside of your home and family to work on. It’s so easy to overschedule and then get totally stressed.

            If you can learn to say “no” or “I’ll have to think about it” in the first place, then you’ve got it down. But if you find yourself overcommitted and becoming too stressed, then it’s time to evaluate and cut some things out.

            One exercise that helps is to visualize and write down your life goals. What do you want to have accomplished by the end of your entire life? Write this down. Then write down the long-term goals you have, for the next 25 years. Then figure out and write down your goals for the next 10 years. Next, write your goals for the next 5 years, and then for the next year. If you wish, you can even break down your goals into what you hope to accomplish in the next six months, in the next month, in the next week, and today. You can even put all of these up on the wall to look at everyday, using laminated sheets of paper so you can update them.

            By having your goals in front of you like this, you can get an idea of what to spend your energy on and what to cut out. And if you can simplify your life and schedule, you’ll find serenity again.