Many of us are working longer hours during the week (and sometimes even on our "days off"), spending more time commuting, driving our kids hither and yon (and even to outer yon), taking care of our aging parents (who can still make us feel as if we're 12), eating on the go, and definitely not getting enough sleep. I don't know how all of us can continue at that pace; I honestly don't think we can.

This is a recipe for a special sort of endurance bar. (Bet you eat a lot of those as you dash around.) It's not a fix-all that will ensure supreme physical conditioning nor is it a panacea for emotional/mental discombobulation. I am not a personal trainer and I am not a psychotherapist. It's merely a ... suggestion for how to get that balance ball rolling.

I already gave you the ingredients. Let me talk about one or two and then you can follow the entire recipe by reading Crabby's recipe for balancing your work and your life.

Let's talk about that 1/3 cup of delegation. While a third of a cup may not seem like much, a little goes a long way (sort of like truffle oil).

Delegating at work doesn't simply mean assigning someone as a delegate to your Outlook Inbox. It can mean:

  • Giving your delegates permissions to certain folders on your computer.
  • Creating a SharePoint site so that everyone you've brought into a project has access to all the necessary information.
  • Assigning tasks with due dates. (Be careful with this one. Unless you're the boss, firing off your tasks with an end date to your peers can truly backfire on you.)

Girl with broomAnd of course, you can (and should) delegate at home, too. When your kids are old enough, they can take on some of the chores, right? Carry dishes to the kitchen, sort their laundry, take a Washing dishesclass at massage school … But seriously, delegating at home may be even harder than doing it at work. Kids (and too often spouses) carry with them, a certain sense of, shall we say …entitlement. Well it's time to nip that in the bud (or if need be, yank up that flower) and get some help with your load. It may take a village to raise a child but it takes a heckuva lot of work — and help — to run a sane household. Hey, how about a rules and responsibilities contract? Could you use a work-based allowance chart? (Now you're thinking!)

Before you dash off to get the get the full recipe, a reminder to not forget  that little dash of simplification: In a word, calm. In two words, slow down. No one is going to vote you off the island, even if you can't make fire or catch a fish with your bare hands.  If you need to cut back on what you do, that's what you do. Your life and well-being are worth more than an empty inbox and 20 hours of overtime pay.

"I was thirty-two when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate." — Julia Child

— Crabby