It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressures of running a busy practice. If you don’t consciously look at your day and choose how you want to live, you will find yourself at the mercy of the tasks and requests being made by staff and clients, says Tara McDonough, life and executive coach and owner of What’s Possible? in Peterborough, Ont.

To begin finding balance between responsibilities at work and at home, ask yourself these seven questions:

1. What distracts me at work?
Think of the interruptions and tasks that leave you feeling stressed at the office.

Perhaps you feel enslaved by the telephone or your email, or that you can’t say “no” to a meeting, says McDonough, even if it interferes with a more important task.

Develop strategies to counteract these distractions. For example, schedule a specific time for meetings, or check your email twice daily.

2. What is important to me?
To find the right balance between home and the office, know what matters most to you.

Ask yourself what you value most, McDonough says.

Think about when you felt most fulfilled, happy or engaged with life, she says. Consider what you were doing and what was happening at that time.

3. What does a balanced life mean to me?
Everyone has a unique definition of work/life balance, says McDonough. Take the time to understand what it means to you.

For example, for some people, balance is having one night a week to read a book and unwind, she says. Others may need to play sports every night to get away from the stress of their jobs.

4. What results am I looking for?
It’s easy to say that you want to be healthier or more productive at work, says McDonough. But to achieve balance you need describe what that result will look like.

For example, if you want to be healthier, what does that mean? Does it mean you want to be able to walk up a flight of stairs without losing your breath? Is it losing 10 pounds? Or is it running a marathon?

5. How do I spend my time?
Keep track of your activities to find out how much time is devoted to each.

McDonough recommends keeping a time diary for one week, including a weekend, marking down all of your activities.

After creating the diary, analyze the information to see how it corresponds to your priorities and your idea of balance.

For example, if you noted in your diary that exercise is a priority but you’re only going for a 15-minute run once a week, you are probably going to need to reorganize your time.

6. What are my goals?
In order to feel balanced, you must set realistic objectives.

Your goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, resonant and time-bound, McDonough says. Set milestone goals to help reach your final goal.

For example, if your goal is to run five miles by the end of the year, a milestone goal maybe to run one mile after training for a month.

7. Who will keep me honest?
Follow through on your goals with a little help from others.

McDonough recommends working with a coach, or someone else who is not related to your goals, to help keep you on track.

A friend, family member or coach can also offer support, she says, because finding work/life balance is a process that won’t happen overnight.

IE