Battle of Balance

I think the rule goes...

If you have one dirty martini Friday night, you will only need one cup of "recovery coffee" Saturday morning.

I had two dirty martinis Friday night, so I'm currently brewing my second cup of recovery coffee- a rare treat for me! I'm a strict one-cup-gal. Most days.

These two cups of coffee are actually just what I need this morning. A little caffeine, a little indulgence, a little TLC.

My life revolves in cycles. The last two weeks out of every month, we are broadcasting "Live from the Lawn"- the show I produce for Auction Network.

The hours are early, long and late. I wake up when it's dark, spend lunch at my desk, hurry home to beat the setting sun for a run, crawl into bed by 9pm. It's rewarding to produce this show. It's exhausting to produce this show.

So I spend the first two weeks- "non-auction weeks"- of every month playing catch-up on life. Coffee meetings before work, lunch dates, happy hour, dinner with girlfriends.  Weekends where I go, go, go- errands, shopping, meetings, and the list goes on.

And then those two weeks pass in a blur of activity- nearly as busy as the "auction weeks"- and I never really catch up.

Everyone has these battles. Whether you're a single working adult trying to advance your career... a new mom trying to figure out that precious balance... a newly married couple navigating the waters of work and life or a seasoned married couple whose kids are all out of the house... everyone struggles with the age-old battle of balance.

This weekend is the transition weekend- between "non-auction" and "auction." I tried to cram it all in the past two weeks, and now I'm looking down the barrel of a long two weeks to come.

I need to remember to go easy on myself. It's OK to say no. Budget my time just like my money; spend it wisely. Step outside more often, put life in perspective.

Reward myself from time to time. I'd say that second martini- and subsequent second cup of coffee- is well deserved today. :)

What's your current balance battle? How do you overcome it?